


The Little Dancer

by LyriaFrost



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fantasy AU, Gen, I'll add other warnings and characters as they appear in the story, some mentions of violence and noncon/dubcon, some swearing/harsh language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 47,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaFrost/pseuds/LyriaFrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin is a little dancer, brought as a slave to a far away kingdom.  But when Geoff, the prince, finds out, he's not too happy about it.  He steals Gavin away, and thus begins a new set of adventures in this little dancer's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Little Dancer

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing a multichapter story that doesn't involve any romance. If there is any romance, I'm going to try to keep it to the currently existing couples.

The sun was just beginning to set over the bustling town square, and the people were packing the streets. The markets were busy, people on their home from work, buying dinner, merchants packing up their wares. A dark figure in a hooded cloak slipped easily between the many people, making his way through the crowd, wandering the streets. He had no distinct goal in mind, just blending in and following groups of people for periods of time. But as the sun got lower and lower, the streets started to empty out. Stores were closing, people were going home to their families, everywhere there were bright lights behind closed door but one by one the lights in the streets went out. As he got further from the castle at the center of the town, the streets got smaller, darker, dingier. 

By the time the sun was gone, the mysterious man found himself ensconced in a little tiny tavern far away from the castle. The place was full of loud, rough, drunk men and skimpily dressed ladies, but it was warm and bright and the ale wasn't too bad. He sat at a table in the corner, staying back in the shadows, watching everyone around him. Suddenly, he heard a commotion from the middle of the room. 

"Alright, you drunken good-for-nothings! It's finally the time you've all been waiting for." A massive cheer went up from around the room. "All the way from the Symithian Isles, we've brought this wonderful little dancer to entertain us all. An exotic boy, the likes of which are never seen in this fair kingdom." 

"Jus' bring 'im out already!" 

"Ah, shut up. Well I won't keep ya any longer, just remember, no permanent damage to my property!" The bar owner wandered from the cleared space in the middle of the room as a little band in one side started up a tune. A lithe figure, with gorgeous dark blonde hair, swept gracefully into the cleared space. He wore nearly sheer white pants, tight at the waist and ankles, with slits that billowed to the sides when he spun, and nothing else. His skin glittered in the firelight, obviously dusted with some kind of powder, and he had jewelry made of coins that made pretty noises. 

But despite all of this, he was obviously unhappy. He danced and twirled around the room, but everywhere he went there were hands that reached out to grab him, touching and fondling, and with every passing minute, the men were getting more brazen, calling out lewd statements of what they'd like to do to the boy after his performance. The crowd pressed closer and closer, and it wasn't long before he spun the wrong way, thrown off balance by a hand that tried to slip into his clothes, and he fell to the floor. The bar owner was back on the floor in a moment, hauling the boy up by his arm and slapping him soundly. 

"Stupid boy, no stopping, get back to your dancing." He threw the boy to the floor again, and was about to kick him, when the mysterious figure suddenly stepped in front of him. Everyone went still at the gleam of cold steel in his hand, dagger pressed against the bar owner's throat. He said nothing, simply stared with hard grey eyes at the big burly man who was all bluster now. 

"Now now, little man, let's not get hasty. How's about you put that dagger away, and I'll get ya another ale, on the house." Suddenly the cloaked figure spun, bringing his dagger up to block a strike from an armed man who had been trying to sneak up on him. Just then, there was a loud commotion from outside and a group of armored guards burst into the tavern, yelling at anyone who tried to put up a fight. It was over in a few moments, every tavern-goer kneeling on the floor, stripped of weapons. 

"Prince Geoff, we know you're in here." The cloaked figure sighed, throwing off his hood as he stood, revealing messy dark hair and tired grey eyes above a sly grin. 

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." He muttered under his breath before turning to the doorway. "What, you couldn't even let me rough them up a little, Michael?" A curly haired boy stood there, arms crossed, shaking his head at the Prince. His red-brown hair and hazel brown eyes made him seem younger and softer than he was, but Geoff knew better than to underestimate the man. Next to him was a much taller man, around Geoff's own age, with bright red hair and beard and dark blue eyes. "Jack! You came along as well!" 

"Well of course I did, Geoff. Didn't want to give your dear squire all the fun of dragging your sorry ass back to the castle. What kind of steward would I be if I did that?" Geoff threw back his head and laughed. 

"We both know you're much more than a steward, Jack." 

"Indeed. However, I think it is time to be getting back before the King finds out that you are gone. We can only do so much to hide the lack of our illustrious presence." Geoff waved a hand dismissively. 

"Of course, of course. But first, I have something to do. Michael, my dear squire, come here." The younger boy stepped forward, Geoff pulling him close enough to whisper something in his ear. Michael's eyes narrowed before he stepped back next to Jack, turning to whisper to the older man before quickly leaving the room. Geoff turned back to the people still gathered on their knees. 

"Alright now, before I go, there's someone here I want to talk to. Where is the little dancer?" Out of the corner of his eye, Geoff saw a small figure rise hesitantly from his kneeling position. "There you are, come over here for a moment." Geoff's eyes softened when he saw the slow steps, the boy was obviously afraid of him. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you, don't be scared. What is your name?" 

"My name... is Gavin, sire." Geoff resisted the urge to reach out and pull the young boy into a hug. Something about him just made the prince want to wrap him up and protect him, keep him safe forever. 

"Gavin... well then, Gavin, care to tell me what you're doing here?" 

"I'm... I'm a dancer, sire." 

"Well, I could see that. But what are you doing so far from home?" Gavin looked back at the bar owner for a moment. 

"Nothing, just... trying to get work." Geoff narrowed his eyes at the boy. 

"Really, now? I heard all those things that those men yelled at you, watched what they did to you, what he did to you. I can't imagine you wanting to work here." Gavin started to tear up a little. 

"Please, sir, I never did anything wrong, please, I'm just trying to stay alive here, I take whatever I can get." Michael came back in then, carrying a thick, warm cloak. Geoff took the cloak and flung it over Gavin, using the motion to grab the boy's chin and make their eyes meet. 

"Gavin, tell me the truth. Do you want to be here?" Gavin tried to turn and look at the bar owner again, but Geoff held him tight. "Gavin. Answer the question." He shook his head a little and whispered. 

"No..." 

"Then that's all that matters, wrap that cloak tighter around you, it's cold outside and it's a bit far to the castle." Geoff beckoned Michael forward, the squire taking control of the little dancer and pulling him back towards the knights. Gavin simply followed, pulling the cloak tightly around him, but keeping his eyes back on Geoff. 

"Sire..." Geoff smiled gently, softening for just a moment to reassure the obviously scared boy. 

"Don't worry, Gavin, we'll be leaving in just a moment." He turned back, and quickly singled out the owner of the establishment. "You. Come here." The man stumbled up. 

"I swear, my prince, I didn't mean no harm." 

"You didn't mean any harm? You've kept this boy here against his will, you've beat him, let people do anything they want to him, and judging by the way he looks, you never feed him. So how can you say that you didn't mean any harm?" 

"He's just a slave, sir, a nobody." Geoff grabbed the man by the collar. 

"He's just a nobody? He's a person, just like me. And he is a far better person than you are." Geoff threw him away, disgusted. "We're leaving now. I hope you're aware that slavery is illegal in this country. Guards, take him away." The prince stalked back over to Michael and Jack while the guards moved forward. Gavin was still there, now huddled into Michael's side. Geoff was glad to see that Gavin felt safe with the young squire. "Let's go. Gavin, you'll ride with me. I'm sure you thought to bring my regular horse, Michael?" 

"Of course, sire. He's all saddled up and waiting outside. I rode him here myself while searching for you. I also sent a page ahead to the castle to organize your commands." 

"Very good, I assume you'll be riding back with Jack then?" Both the men nodded. "Then let's go, I don't want to keep Gavin here any longer than I need to." With that, Geoff and Jack all climbed up onto the horses. The little dancer stood there, looking very unsure of himself. Michael came up next to him and whispered something in his ear, to which Gavin nodded. The squire then led the dancer up to the horses, and helped him climb up in front of Geoff. The prince wrapped an arm tightly around the younger boy's waist and held him close, keeping him in place as they rode off towards the castle in the distance.


	2. The King's Quarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how happy I am with this, but I don't know what else to change right now.

When they got back to the castle, Geoff immediately dismounted, stalking off to talk to some guards. Michael came up to the side of his horse, helping Gavin get down as well. He talked to the boy the same way he would to a scared animal, trying to be non-threatening and reassuring. 

"C'mon, let's get you off the horse, we'll take you upstairs where it's warm and dry, alright? I'll see what I can do about finding you some new clothes." Gavin looked very lost as he looked after where Geoff had gone. 

"But... the prince..." 

"Hey, it's okay. He told me to take care of you, he just has to go talk to his father and then he's going to meet us, alright? He said to take you up to his room and get you settled there for now. So let's go in, it's too cold out here for you in just that cape." Gavin drew said cape around him tighter as he nodded and followed Michael into the castle. Despite the late hour, the halls were still bustling, and the stone walls bounced and magnified every sound. It was sometimes overwhelming even to people who had grown up there, but Gavin was not at all used to the environment, and he was unprepared. The tavern may have been a busy and loud place, but it was still small, and fit very few people. Gavin huddled close to Michael, grabbing onto the back of his shirt as they strode through the halls. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get to the less crowded areas that led to the royal chambers. 

"Alright, here we are." Michael led the way into a suite of rooms. The first room was a study of some kind, a desk against one wall and many chairs scattered around a rug spread in front of the fire. The stone walls were covered over with dark red tapestries which made the room feel much warmer than the rest of the castle. There was a young boy in the room who was kneeling in front of the fire, adding more logs to the already roaring blaze. 

"Oh, Michael! I've gotten everything taken care of. I managed to find some clothes, I left them in your room." 

"Thanks, Caleb. Oh, Caleb, this is Gavin." 

"Gavin! It's nice to meet you." 

"Ummm... it-its nice to met you too." There was a deep chuckle from the doorway. 

"Never thought I'd see someone look that nervous around you, Caleb." 

"Sire!" 

"Oh, come off it. You know that within these apartments, there are no titles." 

"Right... Geoff." 

"Good, now then, you can have the rest of the night off. Michael, I'd like you to take a message to Ray, let him know that I'd like to see Ryan as soon as he returns from wherever he is this time." 

"Very good, sir." Both boys slipped out of the room, leaving Geoff and Gavin alone. 

"Well, now that everything's all taken care of, come sit down with me, Gavin. The chairs here are quite comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?" 

"N-no, thank you, sire." 

"No no, none of that here. I'm just Geoff in my private quarters. None of that 'my prince, lord of Rymara, heir to the golden throne' or any of that shit. Now, I know you need something to drink, so try some of this." The prince handed Gavin a little goblet, full of a warm brown liquid. 

"W-what is this? It's so... so sweet..." Geoff had a good laugh as the little dancer hurriedly gulped everything in the cup. 

"It's just some hot cider. Here, have some more, but drink a little slower, okay? Don't worry, there's plenty of cider. Also, when Michael returns, he will doubtless have our dinner with him, so don't fill up on cider." Gavin sat on the very edge of his chair, obviously not very comfortable with the furniture. 

"Is it- can I... um..." 

"It's okay, Gavin, go ahead. Is there something you want?" 

"Can I- is it okay if I sit on the floor?" Geoff was taken aback by the request. 

"Um... if that's what you want then go ahead." Gavin slipped out of the chair and tucked his legs under him, still cradling the cup of cider that he took very careful sips from now and then. Geoff was content to simply sit in his own chair, drinking from a cup of wine and watching the expressions on Gavin's face as he looked around the room. It was only a few more minutes before Michael returned, carrying a tray piled high with an assortment of food. Gavin was quick to leap up and relieve Michael of his burden, to the boy's shock. 

"Oh... um, thanks, but you don't have to take that, I'm used to carrying all that around." 

"Sorry... it was just- well, sorry..." Michael and Geoff shared a look as Gavin went and situated the tray on the low table near the fire. They quickly tucked into the food, but the dancer simply sat by and watched with a trace of longing. 

"Gavin, you can have some of the food." 

"I- um, that's okay. I don't want to take your food, I'm used to it anyway." Geoff felt a flash of anger towards the bar owner, and Michael was glad the man was safely locked away before his prince could do anything he would regret later. 

"No, really, I made sure Michael brought enough back for all three of us, there's more here than just he and I could eat, so please come eat something. You're too skinny, and I can hear your stomach growling all the way over there." Gavin blushed a little and moved closer. 

"C'mon Gavin, really, I tried to bring a selection of food, there must be something here you'll eat." Michael pressed a piece of fruit into the boy's hands, trying to get him to eat something. Gavin handled the food very carefully, taking a tentative bite and flinching immediately after, as if he expected to be hit even though he had been told it was okay. Instead, Michael and Geoff both smiled encouragingly and then returned to their own conversation, watching Gavin carefully but allowing him some privacy to eat on his own. He didn't eat very much, but the others were just glad to see that he didn't flinch quite as much by the end. 

"Michael, is there another bed for Gavin?" 

"Yeah, Caleb had one set up in your room." 

"Good. I'd say it's time for bed then. Take care of the fire, will you, Michael? Come along, Gavin." The curly-haired boy moved to bank the fire as Geoff led Gavin through one of two doors along the wall. On the other side was Geoff's bedroom, a simple space with more tapestries of dark green and a large plush bed dominating the room. There was another fireplace, smaller this time, and a comfortable chair in the corner along with a wardrobe. "Okay, Gavin. This is my room. I had the servants put another bed in here for you, so you can stay here for the night. We'll figure everything else out tomorrow. I think Michael left some clothes there for you as well. I'm going to step out of the room for a moment, give you a chance to change, alright?" 

"O-okay." When Geoff came back in the room after a quick conversation with his squire, Gavin was wearing the borrowed clothes and they dwarfed his small frame. He stood awkwardly by the side of the bed, even once Geoff climbed into his own bed. 

"It's alright to go to bed, bud." 

"But the bed- its too nice- I can't..." 

"Sure you can." 

"No... no, it's not... I'll just sleep on the floor, this is all too much." 

"Gavin..." Geoff sighed and got out of bed again and moved over to the other bed, pulling back the covers. "C'mon, please come lay down, I can't sleep with you sleeping on the floor or whatever, it's just not right." 

"You're sure?" 

"I'm completely sure, Gavin, this bed is here just for you." The young boy slowly made his way over, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, and stiffly laying down. "That's it, bud, now just relax, alright?" Geoff pulled the covers up, tucking Gavin in nicely, before going back to his own bed and laying down after blowing out the candles. In the dim light from the fireplace, he could see the shadowy figure on the other bed still stiffly lying in the same position, but after a few minutes, Gavin seemed to relax and his breathing evened out. Then, and only then, Geoff allowed himself to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments/criticisms/suggestions! Anything helps!


	3. New Friends and Big Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, my usual chapters are 2 and a quarter pages, this one was 4 and a quarter. I'm quite impressed with myself, I finally have this story going somewhere now.

The next day when Geoff woke up, he stumbled out of bed and immediately tripped over a figure on the floor. 

"What the fuck?" He heard a startled yelp and looked down to see Gavin scrambling out of the way. 

"I'm so sorry, sire, I didn't mean to be in the way, I'm sorry." 

"It's alright, Gavin, but why are you on the floor?" 

"It's- um- the bed was just too soft and I couldn't sleep... so I just slept on the floor?" 

"You slept on the floor?" 

"Yeah but... that's what I'm used to, so it's okay." Geoff sighed and just let it go, figuring that it was too early in the day to be dealing with this. 

"It's really not okay, but whatever. C'mon, let's go see if Michael brought breakfast." Geoff led Gavin out of the room, both of them still clad in their sleep clothes. Sure enough, Michael was already up and dressed, working on starting the fire in the common room. He glanced up when he saw the two other men. 

"I brought breakfast, it's covered on the table over there. I also got some more clothes for Gavin, from Caleb this time, so they should fit him better than my clothes do." They all sat down to eat once Michael got the fire going again. Gavin sat back on the floor, seemingly uncomfortable with the furniture, and continued to nibble at the food he was handed. He still flinched with the first few bites, but did not try to argue this time, which Geoff was very glad for. Once the food was gone, the prince retired to his room to change clothes, while Michael led Gavin through another door. On the other side was another bedroom, smaller than Geoff's, but with the same basic furnishings, though his tapestries were a dark brown. 

"Alright, so here is a bag full of clothes for you, they're ones that no one else needed right now, so don't worry about what happens to them. Geoff has a series of meetings to attend today, so he asked that I keep an eye on you. Do you want to come around with me while I attend to my own business? Or I can get someone else to cover for me, and we can just stay in here." 

"Um... I think it'd be okay if I just followed you around... I mean- I don't want to keep you from your work, so I'll be fine... I think..." 

'It's up to you, but don't worry, I don't have too much to do. I have some messages to deliver around the castle, and I'm supposed to help out with training some new knights today as well. Will you be okay with that?" 

"I... yeah, I'll be okay with that..." Michael smiled reassuringly. 

"Don't worry, I won't leave you alone. Now, why don't you change into some of these clothes while I go make sure Geoff is ready for the day? I'll be back in a few minutes." Michael swept out of the room, and Gavin started rummaging through the bag. Inside were a few tunics and a couple pair of pants, as well as some sandals. Gavin chose to wear a light green tunic, with white pants and sandals that had green laces. He sat on Michael's bed to put the shoes on, and just as he finished, the door opened and the curly-haired boy reentered the room. Gavin jumped up, immediately moving from the bed and casting his gaze downward. 

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sat on your bed, I didn't think about it, please don't punish me." Michael sighed, shaking his head as he moved to his own set of drawers. 

"It's not a problem, Gavin, if I cared, I wouldn't have invited you into the room. Don't worry about it, and just so you know, no one here will punish you for things, especially if you didn't know what you were doing. Now then, let's head out, shall we? The prince just left for his meetings, and I need to run a message before training begins." The two boys set off down the hallway, the little dancer trailing just a step behind Michael. He tightly clenched the back of the squire's tunic yet again, but Michael pretended not to notice. Instead he talked to the blonde haired boy, pointing out pieces of artwork or telling him about the people they walked past. They stopped for a short time to deliver a paper to Joel, the king's financial advisor, a man with dark hair and tired eyes who continued to rant about the state of the economy long after Michael had given the message and walked away. 

"Alright, now it's time for the training sessions. Alan and Monty are the ones in charge of the new recruits, they like to get the courtyard training done in the morning. After lunch, they usually go out through the kingdom and practice horseback riding or other such skills. They sometimes like for me to attend, as the prince's squire, to help them break in potential knights. So we'll head down to the courtyard now, will it be alright if I find somewhere for you to sit there? There's usually plenty of tents set up to allow anyone to watch the training." 

"Okay..." Once the two boys made it out to the courtyard, Michael led them over to a canopy set up to the side of the courtyard. The ground was littered with comfortable cushions, and low tables covered in food and drink. There were several people there already, nobles decked out in beautiful outfits of silk, eating and gossiping as they waited. Michael headed towards one particular person, a small boy about their own age, wearing loose white pants and a black vest with an embroidered rose on the breast. 

"Ray! Fancy seeing you here, you don't often attend training." Ray leaped up quickly, with graceful movements that surprised Gavin. 

"Well when I found out that my favorite squire was here today, I simply had to come. Still waiting for the day when one of those students knocks you on your ass." 

"Shut it, jerk. You're probably just lonely all by yourself, it's been what, like three weeks since Ryan left? Surprised he didn't take you with him on such a long trip." Gavin saw a brief flash of something in Ray's dark brown eyes, but it was quickly gone again. 

"You know Ryan, probably couldn't be bothered to take care of me. Anyway, who's the new guy?" 

"Oh right, this is Gavin. And I'm really glad you're here, cause you can stay with him while I'm working." 

"That's cool, nice to meet you, Gavin." 

"It- it's nice to meet you too, sir." 

"Naw man, no sirs. I'm just a humble court dancer." Ray pulled back and curtsied deeply as he said it. 

"You're a- a dancer, too?" 

"Ray is Ryan's dancer, a very prestigious position in this kingdom." Just then a horn sounded throughout the castle. "Oh shoot, I need to go get ready. Are you two settled?" 

"Yeah, man. Gavin and I will be fine, now shoo before Alan decides to mess with you for being late." Michael turned to Gavin and grasped the other boy by the shoulder's, ignoring the slight flinch. 

"Will you be okay here, Gavin? I won't be far, just over there with the others." 

"Yeah, that's- that's fine, Michael." The squire ran off with a quick wave, leaving Ray and Gavin to their own devices. 

"Alright man, come on, make yourself comfortable. Feel free to take whatever food or drink you want, there's just about anything you could imagine here." Gavin sat down very slowly, perching on the edge of the cushion, but didn't move to take any food. He flinched every time he heard the swords clanging across the yard, and Ray just watched him quietly for a moment. 

"You know, I know how it feels, Gavin." Gavin jumped and turned to him with wide eyes. 

"W- what? You know..." Ray smiled and sat up, moving to put his hand over one of Gavin's. 

"I know how overwhelming it is here. I was born the child of a slave in another country, and my master sold me away from my family when I was little. I spent years traveling from one master to another, forced to act as entertainment, until Ryan visited the court where I was living and bought my freedom from the lord that owned me. I don't know why he did it, he said there was just something about me that he liked, but then he brought me here and I can remember how hard that transition was. But you'll get through it, you're in a great place, and Geoff and Michael are awesome guys." 

"Oh- um... thanks, R-ray. I'm sorry... that you had to go through that." Ray laughed and sat back again. 

"I'm sorry for you too. I don't regret anything that happened though, cause it brought me here." 

"Can I- can I ask you a question?" 

"Yeah sure, anything you want." 

"Who is Ryan? I hear- everyone mentions him, but I don't know who he is." 

"Oh, he's the court mage." 

"Mage? Like m-magic?" 

"Yupp, he's a really powerful wizard. He's teaching me some of the tricks, but I'll never be as good as him. He's one of the Prince's best friends, they grew up together, along with Jack who is the Prince's steward now." 

"And... you're a dancer?" 

"Yeah... it's a really great thing in this kingdom, like most nobles have their own personal dancer and they use them for different things. Ryan has me help him with magic, because he says he can use my dancing as a conduit for big pieces of magic." 

"You can do magic?" 

"Not exactly... I can do little bits of magic with Ryan's help, but when he wants to perform a big spell, he needs something to focus his powers through to make it come out right. Magic is a very fickle thing, and without a conduit it has a tendency to do whatever it wants. My dancing helps Ryan give it purpose and direct it's activities. We're not exactly sure why, but Ryan says that the conduit for each magician can be anything from a stone to an animal to another person, so it's not that strange. Other nobles usually use dancers as entertainers, the temples use them to help with prayers, there's even a troupe of dancers who have come up with a sort of code in their dance and so are used as messengers." 

"Wow... okay." Just then, there was another horn blast, and the two dancers looked up to see the men in the courtyard begin to line up in a neat formation. Two men stood in front of them, both with light brown hair, one straight and the other curly. Michael stood a step behind them, respectful of his position as a squire, someone still in training. Soon enough, Alan and Monty were leading the knights through various moves, having Michael help demonstrate the technique, and then moving through the group to make sure everyone was picking up on it. During the couple hours of training, Ray kept up a constant stream of conversation, telling funny stories about Michael and Geoff and Jack and even some people that Gavin hadn't met yet. Gavin grew to like the other dancer quite a lot, he understood Gavin, and was very good at making him feel comfortable. Plus, it was nice to meet someone who loved dancing just as much as he did. Gavin barely noticed how much time had gone by, until Ray broke off his never-ending stream of words suddenly. 

"Michael! Glad to see you still in one piece, guess you managed to survive this band of recruits." 

"If Alan and Monty manage to whip them up into any sort of soldier, I'll be impressed. I'm pretty sure you could fight better than most of those boys, Ray. How are you doing, Gavin?" 

"Good... um, Ray was tell- telling me a lot of really cool stuff." 

"Eh, it's easy to impress someone who doesn't know about this kingdom already. I swear, I'm really not an interesting guy." 

"Oh shut it, Ray. Gavin, the prince sent a message asking you and I to be back at his apartments for lunch today, so we need to get going. Want to come along Ray? I'm sure his majesty won't mind." 

"Why not? Better than going back to my lonely suite of rooms." 

"Yes yes, we know you're pining for your lost lover." Michael missed the slight blush that stained Ray's cheeks as he said that, but Gavin saw it quite clearly, as well as the flash of pain in the other dancer's eyes, but Ray brushed it off so quickly that Gavin thought he had better just leave it alone. Michael and Ray continued to bicker all through the halls, until they finally reached Geoff's rooms again. Ray bowed low as they entered to find Geoff already sitting by the fire, Jack at his side. 

"My liege, I beg you grant your humble servant leave to partake of your lunch." Jack laughed heartily as Geoff merely shook his head with a smile. 

"Jesus, Ray, I don't think you could sound any more formal if you tried. Of course you're welcome to lunch with us." 

"Good, cause your squire already invited me, and I wouldn't take no for an answer anyway." 

"So disrespectful to your prince." 

"You love me anyway, Geoff." Michael returned just then, having run to change out of his sweaty clothes. They all gathered around the trays of food that Caleb had delivered, talking and laughing through the meal. Gavin sat in his usual seat on the floor, but this time he did not have to be coaxed into eating any of the food, regardless of the small amount he consumed. Soon enough, everyone was finished eating, and simply reclined on their chairs. Geoff moved so that he was sitting next to Gavin, taking the younger boy's hands in his. 

"Listen, Gavin, I have something important to ask you. I know you haven't even been here a day, but I want to make arrangements for you to be taken care of as soon as possible. But to do that, I need to know what you want to do. So there are several choices. You can stay here, I can find a place for you in the village, or I can make arrangements to send you home again." 

"I can- I can go home?" 

"If you want to." 

"I... um..." 

"You don't have to choose right now, I don't expect you to know right away." 

"I'll- um... okay, I'll think about it." 

"Good, now, I have meetings to get to, will you be okay with Michael again?" 

"Yeah... um... Will Ray- can you stay too, Ray?" Ray looked slightly taken aback that Gavin was asking for him, but readily agreed. 

"Why not? It's not like I have anything else to do." Geoff and Jack took their leave, Caleb returning to collect the dirty dishes, but soon enough it was just the three boys alone in the room. Michael and Ray pulled out a deck of cards, engaging each other in various games. They tried to pull Gavin into their conversations, but let him lapse into silence when he needed to. It was during one of these periods of silence that Michael was surprised to feel a weight on his leg, and looked down to see that Gavin was curled up with his back against him, staring into the fire. Michael draped an arm across his side, watching as the little dancer flinched but then relaxed again, drawing closer to him. He turned back to the card game to Ray smiling at them. 

"I remember when I was like that. Well, it's good that he seems to feel safe with you and Geoff. Anyway, back to the game. I suggest we play spoons now." 

"Ha, like I'm falling for that one, Ray. You only want to play spoons cause I only have one arm now, and you know you can beat me." 

"Eh, it was worth a try." The boys were still in the same position when Geoff and Jack returned an hour or so later, only Gavin was completely asleep now. They woke him up when it was time for dinner, which was very much a repeat of lunch. The five young men sat around and ate, and after everyone had their fill, the cards came back out and the four played together. Geoff taught Gavin how to play the dealer for their games, a job he was secretly thrilled to have. They all sat in a circle on cushions around the table, making a raucous noise, until Gavin quietly tugged on Geoff's sleeve. He blushed when everyone went quiet and watched him, but still stuttered on. 

"I think- I think I've made my choice." 

"Oh, yeah? That was quick." 

"I- um... I think I want to stay here. With all of you."


	4. Kitchen Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one was meant to be an introduction to Ryan, but Lindsay kinda grabbed hold of the chapter and ran away with it... whoops...

A week had passed since Gavin had made his decision, but nothing much had changed yet. He still slept in a bed in Geoff's room, although Geoff still awoke every morning to find the boy on the floor. He still kept his clothes in the little bag he had been handed, though Michael had given him a few other pieces as well. And he still sat on the floor and picked at food during mealtimes, just like he was doing now. Unlike most days, today it was only himself and Michael. The Prince had an meeting with several council members over lunch, and Ray was nowhere to be found, so the two boys were eating alone. 

"So... Gavin. I have a few questions to ask you. Geoff asked me to help you find a place in the castle. Is there something you'd like to do? I can arrange pretty much anything for you." 

"I think... um... I don't know exactly what I want to do, but..." 

"But what? You know you're safe here, Gavin. Go ahead and tell me whatever you want." 

"I don't know... but- I don't want to leave..." 

"Leave? No one said anything about leaving..." 

"No, I don't want to leave- I don't want to leave you and Geoff... I don't care what I can do, I'll do anything if it means I can stay with you! I'll sleep on the floor, I'll clean everything, I don't care, I just-" Michael was surprised to see tears beginning to form in the other boy's increasingly panicked eyes, and he quickly leaned forward to grab Gavin's face. 

"Hey, hey... Gavin, it doesn't matter what you end up doing, you're not going away from us." There was still a glint of fear in those green eyes and Michael huffed a little smile. "Geoff's gonna kill me for doing this without him here, but I think you need it. C'mere, I want to show you something." Michael led Gavin over towards the doorway to his bedroom, but instead pulled Gavin into another doorway further down the wall. Inside was another room just like Michael's, a decently sized bedroom, but this one was obviously freshly scrubbed. There was a new wood bed across from the little fireplace, a chest at the foot of the bed, and a wardrobe. 

"W-what is this room?" 

"It's for you, Gavin. Geoff wanted to wait to show you until it was finished." 

"Damn right I did. I'm never trusting you with another secret, Michael." The two boys jumped around to see Geoff leaning against the doorway, Ray and Jack behind him. 

"Shit, I'm sorry, Geoff, I just- it seemed like he really needed to see it and I just-" Gavin raced past Michael in a blur of movement, startling Geoff when he quickly wrapped his arms around him in a hug. 

"Thank you... I'm so glad I get to stay here." The little dancer quickly skipped back out of reach before Geoff could return the hug, but the sentiment was still there. 

"Well... um- I'm glad you like it... It's not quite ready yet, but it should be only a day or two more." Just then, Caleb came running into the room. 

"My liege! The guards on the wall send word that the court mage has returned. He should be down in the courtyard by now." Ray gave a wordless cry and ran out of the room. 

"Thank you, Caleb. Please tell Ryan that I will be there soon to greet him. Well then, shall we head down? Make sure you grab your cloaks, all of you. Winter is coming, and it's quite chilly out there." Michael and Gavin rushed to their rooms, grabbing up their cloaks. As Gavin dug through his bag, he overheard the other three talking out in the main room. 

"I hope nothing is wrong... Ryan was supposed to be back a week ago, and that's even after that mysterious message he sent saying that he would be late." 

"I know, Jack... but we'll talk about it later. Whatever it is, it can't be good to him away so long, and I'd rather give him a short time to relax... we'll discuss it over dinner. Please arrange to have Ryan and Ray come here this evening, we'll have a casual dinner in my quarters." 

"As you wish." 

"Gavin, are you ready?" Geoff stood in the doorway, watching Gavin struggle to fix the ties on his cloak. "Here, let me help you with that. Ready to go? Let's not keep Ryan waiting." The four walked down to the courtyard, which was bustling with activity. Aside from Ryan's pure black stallion, he had returned with four horses loaded with bundles, and servants were unloading the goods. Gavin could see Ray and another man, looking about the same age as Geoff and Jack, with dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rugged build. Ray had literally climbed into his arms, had his legs tightly around the other man's waist, and did not seem to have any intention of letting go soon. The man, who Gavin assumed must be Ryan, had his arms tightly around the younger boy, and their heads were pressed close together as they talked quietly. 

"Well, Ryan, it seems like someone is pleased to see you home again." Ryan laughed as he looked up at the approaching group. He whispered something to Ray, who nodded quietly and jumped out of his arms, moving to grab a handful of his tunic instead, staying very close. 

"My liege!" Geoff stepped forward and gave Ryan a quick hug, Jack following suit. "And my lord steward as well. I hope to find you well?" 

"As formal as always, my dear mage. You find us as well as you left us, with an addition to our group." 

"I can see that... the young boy who stands with your squire?" 

"Indeed... this is Gavin, a young dancer that I rescued a week age from a bar in the town. He will be staying with me, and we intend to find him some position within the court." 

"A pretty addition to your court, my Prince. I hope these rascals have been treating you well, Gavin, and I offer you my welcome. This truly is a wonderful place to live." 

"I- um... thank you, my lord." 

"Ha! You're making the poor boy nervous, Ryan. Now then, the Prince requests that you and your dancer attend a private meal in his quarters tonight to discuss the results of your mission." 

"Ever the efficient steward, Jack. But regardless, I will accept gladly." 

"Then we shall allow you to retire to your quarters, no doubt you would like a chance to relax for a time after your long journey. And I think Ray would benefit greatly from some time with you." Ray blushed lightly behind Ryan, as the older man reached back and pulled him tightly to his side. 

"I believe the sentiment goes both ways. And so I shall take my leave." Ray and Ryan both bowed, cognizant of the fact that they were in public before the Prince, and familiarity could only be taken so far outside of closed doors. As they walked away, Geoff turned back to the others. 

"Very well then, I have a court session to attend this afternoon. Will you and Gavin be alright again, Michael?" 

"Yes, my lord. I'm sure we can find a way to pass the time before dinner." With a nod, the Prince strode off, his steward close behind, while Michael and Gavin wandered back into the castle. 

"So... what are we going to do, Michael?" 

"I dunno... want to try something new today?" 

"Um... maybe. What-what is it?" 

"Well... sometimes I like to go down to the kitchens to pass the time. I'm friends with some of the people that work there. And sometimes they'll let me have treats. Do you want to go down there?" 

"Sure... that sounds- that sounds like fun." 

"Okay cool! Lindsay's probably gonna kill me, I haven't been down there in at least a week." Michael led Gavin down a series of twisting hallways, into the lower portions of the castle. They came out into an area that was more akin to an open courtyard with a roof over one portion than a true kitchen. There were open air cooking fires, and under the covered area were tables and collections of food. 

"This is- this is a strange kitchen." 

"Yeah... it was some weird idea that Geoff's great-great-great grandfather or someone like that had. There's other kitchens that they use in the winter, or in really bad weather, but this is the kitchen that we use during the warmer months. The cooks like it a lot because it doesn't get as hot as the indoor kitchens. Plus, it's a lot nicer being outside than stuck inside all day." Just then, a young girl with red hair appeared next to Michael, and smacked him on the back of the head. 

"Michael Jones! Where have you been? It's been more than a week since you visited me! Oh, who's this?" The squire glared at her as he rubbed his head. 

"Ow, thanks a lot, Lindsay. This is Gavin, I haven't been down here to visit you because I've been spending my time with him." 

"Oh, so you like him more than me, I get it." 

"Jesus, Lindsay, just shut up for a minute. The Prince rescued him from some bar out in the city and brought him back, and I've been showing him around." 

"The Prince rescued him?" Michael sighed and grabbed Lindsay by the arm, dragging her away so he could talk softly to her. Gavin knew they were talking about him, but it didn't bother him, strangely enough. It was better Michael told people, rather than them asking him all sorts of questions he didn't want to answer. He didn't even want to discuss that stuff with Michael, Geoff, and Ray. After a moment's discussion, Lindsay and Michael came back over. 

"Alright Gavin, Lindsay says they're awfully busy down here today, so do you wanna help out?" 

"I- um- I don't think I would know how to do anything." Lindsay laughed. 

"That's okay, you can't be any more useless than Michael is, and we always find work to do." Gavin thought that he really liked Lindsay so far. 

"Okay... I guess if there's something I can do, I'd be glad to do it." 

"Perfect! Here, put on these aprons and come sit at this table. I need someone to peel these potatoes and vegetables so I can make a soup." 

"Ugghhh... that is literally the worst job ever, Linds." 

"I can make you shovel coals again, Michael." 

"Fucking no... that was just... I'd gladly peel potatoes over that." 

"Good! Grab a knife and show Gavin how it's done while I grab a few other helpers." Lindsay skipped away, leaving the two boys standing by a table, holding well-used and stained aprons and some knives. There were baskets sitting next to the table, all piled full of potatoes, carrots, and some other vegetables. 

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Gavin? I don't want you to feel pressured into anything... no one will mind if you just want to sit here, or we could even go back to Geoff's room if this is too much for you." 

"No... it's okay... um- back in my home... I used to... I'd always help my mom make dinner- so this is... nice." Michael was surprised at Gavin's statement, the boy had said very little about his past in the week that he had been in the castle. 

"Okay... well I'd suggest using the apron, it tends to get messy when Lindsay and I are working together." By the time Lindsay returned with a couple of helpers, Michael and Gavin were already halfway through a basket of potatoes, both of them covered in little curls of peelings. She set her helpers to preparing the soup case, and starting chopping the peeled foods. As they worked, she and Michael teased each other relentlessly, even getting Gavin to smile and giggle once or twice at the ridiculousness of their friendship. Lindsay was glad to see that, because Michael had told her that he brought Gavin here with the intention of helping him open up somewhat with other people of a similar age, and it seemed to be working pretty well. It only took an hour or so to peel all the vegetables, after which Lindsay set the boys to kneading all of the dough that needed to be cooked for tomorrow's bread. Apparently there was a big dinner tomorrow with several important lords and knights, so the kitchen was very busy. 

"Geez Lindsay, there's no way all this bread is for tomorrow. I think I've kneaded enough dough to feed the entire village." 

"Aw, is poor little Michael tired? After peeling some vegetables and punching a little bit of bread dough? Poor baby." Michael growled and jumped after her, grabbing a handful of flour and dumping it on her head. She squealed and grabbed up some flour herself, chasing Michael around and around the kitchen until she finally managed to jump on his back and rub the flour into his curls. They both collapsed on the ground, laughing at each other, until they heard a noise that made them pause. 

There was a strange squeaking noise coming from the direction in which Gavin was sitting, and they looked up to see the foreign laughing so hard that his face was turning red. Michael smiled at him softy, even though the other boy couldn't see, but then he got a mischievous look. He whispered something in Lindsay's ear, and they both stood up, circling around and approaching Gavin on either side. He stopped laughing when he noticed they had gone quiet. 

"Um... guys? Why are you smiling like that- oh no you don't, no, get away!" Michael and Lindsay laughed as they pounced on Gavin from either side, rubbing flour all over him as well. They all fell over, laughing as they looked at their messy clothes and hair. Suddenly Michael jumped up. 

"Dammit, I forgot that we have that dinner tonight, Gavin! C'mon, we're gonna be late, we have to wash up and change first now." The two boys left their aprons with Lindsay, Gavin pausing a moment to thank her for letting them help out. 

"Not a problem! Come back anytime, Gavin, we can always come up with something for you to do!" Michael and Gavin ran through the halls, trying to avoid anyone who might see them. It wasn't exactly proper for the Prince's squire and the dancer, who was essentially his ward, to be seen running the halls covered in flour. Fortunately, they made it to their chambers without running into anyone, but as soon as they walked in the door, they ran into Geoff and Ryan. Literally ran into them, as in they ran through the door, hit two solid bodies, and ended up sitting on the floor in a slight daze. 

"Well, well, well, it looks like you two have been off having fun. Did you forget about our little dinner?" Michael scrambled up, pulling Gavin up and slightly behind him. 

"I'm sorry, my liege, it was my fault. I took Gavin down to the kitchen and then I lost track of time. Please don't be mad at Gavin, it was entirely my fault." 

"Don't worry, Michael, I'm not mad at all this time. Fortunately, this is just a casual meal with friends. Just make sure you two are not late for any official dinners you have to attend. I will not be able to excuse that as easily. Now go wash up, both of you." 

"Yes, sir, thank you." Gavin quickly ran off to Geoff's room and Michael went to his own room, stripping off his dirty tunic and pouring some water into a bowl to try to get some of the flour off his face. He was in the process of drying himself when he heard a voice from the doorway. 

"Michael..." Geoff came into the room to stand by Michael and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, for everything you've done. I have to ask, is it too much for you? I can arrange to bring Gavin with me to meetings, if you need time for yourself, I don't mean to take advantage of you." 

"It's not a problem at all, Geoff. I- um... I like being with Gavin, and he doesn't mind following me around while I do everything I have to get done each day. I'm... um- I'm sorry about being late today, I won't let it happen again." 

"I've already forgiven it, Michael. Especially seeing how happy Gavin looked when you two came in, I'm glad someone is getting through to him. Now finish up quickly, the food is getting cold." 

"Yes, sire! I'll be out in just a moment." 

"Good boy." Geoff left, but paused for one more moment, speaking over his shoulder. 

"And Michael? Thank you."


	5. Interlude: The Magician and his Muse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delays! Had a bunch of midterms, and weird projects for clinicals due lately. Fortunately, next week is my spring break so I should have plenty of time to write! Unless I end up going to Puerto Rico with my mom again, but we'll see. Anyway, this chapter is just a little interlude, focusing purely on Ryan and Ray because I have big plans for their relationships. Also, I will be explaining the origin terms that they use for each other in an upcoming chapter but for now, sifh is magic and atiyah is gift (both are Arabic words).

Ryan sighed as he finally dismounted in the castle courtyard. He had been on a long hard journey, and home was a most welcome sight. Only one thing would make it better... 

" _Sifh!_ " And there he was. The mage swung around just in time to catch the young boy who was running at him. He buried his face in black hair, smelling the rose-scented soap the boy loved to use. 

"God, Ray, you need to give me more warning than that. I'm getting too old for you to jump on me like that." Ray laughed, even while keeping his face buried in Ryan's chest. 

"You certainly are getting old." 

"Hey now, no insulting the guy who's literally holding you up right now. Besides, I'm not that much older than you." 

"Eh, I'm safe. You won't drop me." Ryan squeezed a little tighter. 

"Never any fear of that, I won't let you fall, _atiyah_." Ray pulled back just enough to look the older man in the eye, but before he could say anything, they were interrupted. 

"Well, my lord Ryan, it seems like someone is pleased to see you home again." Ryan looked up to see the Prince striding across the courtyard towards them, his steward and squire not far behind, along with another strange boy. 

"Come, _atiyah_. Let me talk to the prince and then we will have some time to ourselves. I have something for you anyway." Ray gave him a questioning glance but then climbed out of his arms. He moved back so that he stood slightly behind Ryan while the older man received hugs from the approaching men. "My liege! And my lord steward as well. I hope I found you well." 

"As formal as always, my dear mage. You find us as well as you left us, with an addition to our group." 

"I can see that... the young boy who stands with your squire?" Ryan gestured to the blonde-haired boy who was standing slightly behind Michael. 

"Indeed... this is Gavin, a young dancer that I rescued a week age from a bar in the town. He will be staying with me, and we intend to find him some position within the court." 

"A pretty addition to your court, my Prince. I hope these rascals have been treating you well, Gavin, and I offer you my welcome. This truly is a wonderful place to live." 

"I- um... thank you, my lord." Ryan smiled at the boy, noting how nervous he still seemed in his surroundings. 

"Ha! You're making the poor boy nervous, Ryan. Now then, the Prince requests that you and your dancer attend a private meal in his quarters tonight to discuss the results of your mission." 

"Ever the efficient steward, Jack. But regardless, I will accept gladly." 

"Then we shall allow you to retire to your quarters, no doubt you would like a chance to relax for a time after your long journey. And I think Ray would benefit greatly from some time with you." Ray blushed lightly behind Ryan, as the older man reached back and pulled him tightly to his side. 

"I believe the sentiment goes both ways. And so I shall take my leave." Ray and Ryan both bowed, cognizant of the fact that they were in public before the Prince, and familiarity could only be taken so far outside of closed doors. "Come along, Ray, you can help me unpack before dinner. The servants should have delivered my belonging by now." They walked slowly back to their tower apartment, Ray staying close to Ryan's side and chattering about everything that had happened since he left. 

"So that's how I met Gavin, and we watched the training and Sir Miles got really close to hitting Michael in training and Sir Brandon actually won a fight for once and..." Ryan was content to just let Ray talk, interjecting encouraging sounds from time to time. When they made it back to their quarters, the servants were still there, unpacking several of the chests, but Ryan dismissed them with a wave of his hand, after having two of them bring one particular chest closer to the fire. 

"Here, Ray, come sit with me and open up this chest." Ray sat on the floor while Ryan took a seat on a nearby sofa. 

"What's in it?" 

"You'll just have to open it and find out." Ray stared at the older man for a moment longer before his curiosity won out and he turned to the chest. The first things he pulled out were bolts of fabrics, ranging from the lightest silks to the warmest wools. Under those were new tunics and pants, all done up simply but elegantly. With them were several outfits, made mostly of colored sheer gauze, of the style that Ray like to wear when he danced. 

" _Sifh_... these are- I can't..." 

"Please, _atiyah_..." The young boy sighed and continued to unload the chest piling everything up around him. There was jewelry - ruby pendants online silver chains and gold bangles set with emeralds and sapphires. Under those were beautifully woven tapestries wrapped around a delicate collection of figurines shaped like various animals. There were bags of exotic dried fruits, bundles of herbs that made the whole room smell heady and spicy. Ray finally got to the bottom of the chest and pulled out a small chest, intricately carved, and filled with carefully dried rosebuds. He sat there, gently touching the beautiful flowers for a few moments before leaving everything on the floor and moving to curl up next to the man on the couch 

" _Sifh_... you really didn't need to do that." 

"I know, but I wanted to. You deserve it all and so much more." 

"Ryan..." 

"Please, _atiyah_. Let me do this for you. It's my- my way of apologizing for leaving you behind. I know you hate when I-" Ray interrupted, pulling away from Ryan. 

"Of course I hate it! You leave for weeks and I have no way of knowing when you'll be back, whether you're okay or not... there's an occasional letter but it's never enough. I never know and it terrifies me!" 

"Ray... _atiyah_... you know why I can't take you." Ray sighed before turning and pressing his face into Ryan's chest. 

"I know... it isn't safe for me. I just hate sitting here and waiting for you to come back. I have awful nightmares every night. And it's only been two ears since you rescued me and I don't know what I would do without you." 

"Geoff has already sworn to take care of you is something happens to me, you know that..." 

"I do, it's just- I never have to worry about having a place to live and all that but- but I do have to worry about losing my home because you are my home. I am your dancer, your _atiyah_... without you, I have nothing." Ryan pulled back and grasped Ray's face, brushing thumbs against his cheeks gently. 

"I can't make you any promises. But I will do my best to always come back to you, and to take you along as often as I can. After all, I'm nothing without you either. Ever since that day I found you in that slave market, you have been a major part of my life. And since we bonded, that has only become more true, I am your _sifh_. I gave up all hope of having my own family when I swore to the great magics, I can never take a wife or have children. But I still have you and that's all I'll ever need." Ryan laid out on the couch, pulling the smaller boy down with him until they were laying together, Ray on top. 

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I don't mean to put more on you, I know you're busy and doing the best-" 

"Ray, stop. Everything is fine, you have nothing to apologize for. Now come cuddle with me and tell me more about what's been going on around here. Like this new kid, Gavin I think?" 

"... thank you, _sifh_. Yeah, Gavin, he's pretty cool, though he's only been here a week or two so we don't know much yet." And so Ray continued with his earlier chatter, telling Ryan all about the castle life he had missed. Ryan simply tightened his arms around the other boy, only moving again when he had to go get dressed for dinner. He noticed that Ray stayed as close to him as possible, but he was more than willing to indulge that behavior because he did not want to let his little dancer very far away. After all, the news he had discovered on his journey would not go over well with the Prince nor the King, and Ryan knew that things would be drastically changing soon. But for now, familiarity and the comforts of home were nice.


	6. Tidings of War?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit a bit of a roadblock with my writing for the past few weeks. Hoping it goes away soon, but sorry for the delays!

It only took a few minutes for Michael and Gavin to get changed, and soon enough they were all seated around the fire, picking at plates of food. Ray and Gavin sat on cushions at Ryan and Geoff's feet while the rest were on chairs. 

"Alright then, Ryan. I know you just came back, but I'd like to hear about what you found. Something obviously happened, given that you were supposed to be back three weeks ago, and the last we heard from you was a short note saying that you would be a week late." 

"I know, sire. I apologize for that, I did not intend for it to be so long." 

"Ryan, you know that the titles stay outside of my room. Now I know you'd probably like to relax, unfortunately you and I must report to my father after dinner tonight, and I would hear what you have to say before that. So pray tell, what did you discover on your journey?" 

"Well, you know I left because we were hearing rumors of unrest in the neighboring kingdoms?" 

"Yes, there were many reports of skirmishes taking place in other countries, as well as mass mobilization of troops along the borders." 

"Right. Well, I found the evidence of all of this being true. Many border towns I came across were completely abandoned, some burnt to the ground. However, there were no soldiers left on the borders, it seemed they had all been recalled to the capitals. I was able to speak to King Burnie and King Gus, and they said that troops had been attacking their border towns so they had recalled everyone closer to the capital. This seemed to put a stop to the attacks, but the stranger part was that Kalatos was being attacked by Joryen's soldiers and vice versa." 

"But that makes no sense, Gus and Burnie are dear friends and would never attack each other." 

"Which we all know. But it seems that someone is trying to spark a war between countries by making it seem as if they are attacking each other. I believe that they have hired a mercenary troop and are providing them with materials to make it seem as if they belong to certain kingdoms." 

"Why?" 

"That is the reason I was late. I was able to catch one of these mercenary bands attacking a border village in Alandria." Jack sat up further, still scribbling notes on a scroll he kept in his lap. 

"Matt's kingdom?" 

"Yes. I came upon the town just as they were burning it to the ground and I followed them for many leagues. Unfortunately, I lost them somewhere in the Northern Marshes and it was then that I turned back to Rymara. I thought that this was important to report. Someone is trying to start a war between the kingdoms, though the reason is not entirely clear." Geoff slumped forward, elbows propped up on his knees and his head bent low. The rest of the people in the room stayed quiet, still partaking of the food but allowing the silence that their prince needed to think. 

"Alright. This puts us in a difficult place. The lords of both the northern and southern marshes will be here in one months time, supposedly to negotiate a new alliance treaty. My father is hosting as a neutral third party. So I need you to keep the part about the Northern Marshes quiet for now... have you told anyone else, Ryan?" 

"The only ones who know are the people sitting in this room, sire." 

"That's good, makes things much easier. I trust all of you will keep quiet about this, okay? I will tell my father when the time comes, for now I would keep this secret so that the king can remain an impartial judge. This treaty is too important to ruin it." Five heads nodded as the prince looked at each person in turn. Jack was the first to speak up. 

"I can understand keeping that part quiet, but will you be telling the king the rest of the news?" 

"Aye, Jack. As a matter of fact, we will go right now to tell him. Ryan and Jack will of course be coming with me, and I'd like you to come along as well, Michael. It's about time you got experience with this side of castle life." Michael shot an exasperated look at Ray and Gavin, both giggling because they knew how much the squire hated boring meetings. 

"As you desire, sire." 

"Atiyah, will you and Gavin be alright here while we are gone?" 

"Of course, sifh. We will wait for your return, I'm sure we can occupy ourselves in the meantime." 

"If you wish, Gavin, you can begin moving your things into your new room. The tapestries should be delivered tomorrow, but everything else is ready for you." 

"Th-thank you, sire." 

"Come along, men. Let's get this over with so we can all relax again." The four stood, moving towards the exit of Geoff's apartments. Ryan stopped for a moment to press his lips to Ray's hair, muttering something to the boy too quiet for anyone else to hear, but Ray blushed lightly and reached up to flick Ryan on the forehead. The mage laughed as he followed the others, and soon the two dancers were on their own. Ray grabbed a banana, flopping back to recline on a pile of cushions as he peeled the fruit. Gavin fidgeted with his hands, sneaking glances at the other boy from time to time, opening his mouth as if to say something, but no sound ever came out. After about five minutes of that, Ray finally sighed and spoke up. 

"Ya know, you are allowed to talk to me. About anything. If you have a question, go ahead and ask. I won't get offended." Gavin jumped a little and flushed. 

"Sorry- I just... um... w-what are those titles you and Ryan call each other? Um... Atiyah and sifh, right?" 

"I'm surprised you remembered them after only hearing them a couple times. Yeah, they're words from my native language. Atiyah means gift and sifh means magic or witchcraft." 

"Oh... um, if you don't mind m-me asking, why do you use them?" 

"It's kinda complicated but... well, let me see if I can explain it. I already told you that Ryan and I share a bond." 

"Cause you're his... conduit, right?" Gavin clapped a hand over his mouth, looking horrified at himself. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, please keep talking, I promise I won't interrupt anymore." Ray tossed his now finished banana peel back on the tray, moving to sit next to Gavin and wrap an arm around his shoulders. 

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's alright to interrupt me, we're friends after all, right? Besides, it's nice to know that someone listens to me, everyone else is tired of my 'hero-worshipping' Ryan." Gavin caught a hint of bitterness in Ray's tone, but chose to ignore it and provide a distraction instead. 

"You- we're- you think we're friends?" 

"Well yeah! I mean, you're a pretty cool guy and we have fun together, so doesn't that make us friends?" 

"I- um- it's been so long since I had a friend... but... I'd really like to be your friend." 

"Awesome, now that's settled. So where was I?" 

"Um... talking about your bond with Ryan." 

"Oh right, okay. Well yeah, so part of becoming his conduit is this whole ritual thing. Kinda like promising yourself to the service of magic, sort of anyway. Ryan promised to take care of me and I promised to always be faithful to him. You have to have compete trust between two people to make a conduit work, so the ritual is done to prove to the great magics that the two people have what it takes. It's a lot easier when it's a person and an object, the ritual is much simpler, obviously because an object can't trust a person very well." Gavin giggled and Ray smiled, glad that he was able to relax the other boy. 

"So are the names are part of the ritual?" 

"Yeah... once the people have proven themselves worthy, the great magics will choose a name for each of them. The names are considered sacred, and are always used during rituals after that. Ryan and I also use them to refer to each other in general. For some reason, the magic chose words from my native language instead of Ryan's, and we don't know why, but even mages rarely know why magic does anything that it chooses to do. Usually the magic chooses words from the language of the mage instead. I say usually, but it's actually not that common to have the conduit be another person. I think it's difficult to find a mage who has a relationship with someone where they're both willing to give up as much as you have to and trust enough too." 

"That's okay. I think they're very- um... pretty names." Ray laughed. 

"Some people might take offense, that's kinda emasculating." 

"Sorry..." 

"Stop saying sorry. I said some people might take offense. Neither Ryan nor I will though, we're both very fond of the names. Probably why we like to use them all the time. Kind of a term of endearment to remind each other of the place we hold in life." 

"I'm- um- I'm sorry if this is out of line, but I'm glad you have Ryan... it's very easy to see how much he cares about you." Now it way Ray's turn to flush, and he looked down at the ground by his feet. 

"Um... thanks. I'm-um..." Gavin was sure that Ray was going to say something about what was obviously bothering him, but the other boy just shook himself and plastered a smile on his face again. "Well, how about we get you situated in your new room? I don't know how long it'll be till the others get back, so we might as well get started. It's already late anyway." 

"Oh... well, you don't have to help, that's okay... I don't really- um- I don't have much stuff anyway." Ray was quiet for a moment, staring into the fire and fingering a dried rosebud that he pulled from a pocket in his tunic. 

"We'll take care of that. Some of us have more stuff than you can imagine... It's just not right... But, let's do it anyway! It's always more fun to do anything with a friend." Gavin smiled shyly. 

"Okay. Well, I really just have one little bag, it's in Geoff's room right now." 

"Why don't you go grab that? I'll take a peek into your room in the meantime." Gavin scurried away, climbing out of the pile of pillows the boys had ensconced themselves in. Ray twirled the rosebud in his hand once more before carefully tucking it into his pocket again. He made his way back into the room they had all peaked into earlier that day. Nothing had changed, except that there were now several piles of cloth laying on the bed. 

He unfolded the first to reveal sheets for the bed just as the other little dancer came running into the room. Ray looked at the one little bag he carried and sighed, thinking of the chest full of goods Ryan had brought back for him, just some of the many items he had tucked away in his own little room. But now was not the time for those thoughts, though he made a mental note to talk to the older men about getting more belongings for the boy, especially since he had decided to stay in the kingdom indefinitely. 

"Here, why don't you go through these piles on your bed, Gav? I'm not sure what's in all of them, I figured you should look, this is your room after all." The other boy looked a little taken aback, but moved to comply, placing his bag gently down by the end of the bed. Ray moved to open the wardrobe, hanging up the handful of clothes he found in the bag. 

"Um... so it looks like I have sheets... and a blanket... for the bed I guess. These other piles must be here by mistake though." Ray came to stand next to Gavin, looking at the piles he had spread out on the bed. 

"Why would they be a mistake?" There were four new tunics and two pairs of pants on the bed, as well as underclothes and a warm, fur-lined vest. Two pairs of sandals sat next to the clothing. 

"Because they're- it's- um... it's all new clothing." Ray laughed a little under his breath, quickly pulling Gavin into a hug when the other boy looked slightly hurt. 

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, it's just funny cause I said almost the same thing to Ryan the first time he gave me new clothing. I know it's a little hard to accept, I was the same way once... but things are different here. Maybe not everywhere, but here in these rooms, you are considered an equal to all of us. In an official capacity, you and Michael and I are all slightly below Ryan and Geoff and Jack in terms of position in the kingdom, but we aren't considered to be any lesser as people. So I promise, it's not a mistake. In fact, it looks like Geoff had these made specially for you, because they look like they're just the right size." 

"Oh..." 

"Look just... let's just hang them up with your other clothes, okay? You don't have to wear them yet, but we'll still put them where they go." 

"Okay... um- I'm sorry I'm so strange." 

"Nah, it's not a problem at all. Want help making the bed?" Gavin wandered over to the pile of cloths, picking one up and trying to find the edge. 

"Yeah, that would be really top." Ray snickered as he nudged the other boy. 

"Top?" Gavin laughed quietly. 

"It's from back where I lived before. It means- um- well, it means 'pretty great' I guess." 

"Ah... well, that's a pretty top word then." The two boys laughed as they tried to spread out the blanket, only it did not work as well as they intended. Instead, the blanket ended up wrapped around Ray's waist and Gavin's head. The dark-skinned boy simply stared at the other boy. 

"How did we manage that?" Gavin stared back at Ray, only his eyes peeking out of the blanket before he collapsed in giggles on the bed. Ray struggled for a few moments longer before coming to the realization that he somehow could not get the blanket untangled himself, so he simply flopped down on the bed as well. He rolled over on top of Gavin, getting them even more tangled up, and that was how Michael found the two boys when he returned from the meeting ahead of the older men.


	7. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time! But I have a lot of ideas and I can never seem to find a good place to cut off each chapter. I like writing fluff way too much.

"Well, well. What's going on here?" Both Ray and Gavin jumped, too caught up in the blanket to notice the squire had entered the room. Gavin say up and chirped happily, his voice muffled by the blanket still wrapped around his head. 

"Michael! We uh- kinda got a little tangled up while trying to make the bed." 

"Micoo!" Gavin pouted as Ray mimicked the way he said Michael's name. "Wanna help us out? I don't actually think I can get out of this. I tried, and just ended up deeper in." Michael smirked as he moved forward. 

"What, the great Ray, the most graceful creature in the palace, has been entangled by a simple blanket?" 

"You better watch your back, Michael... part of being the most graceful is also being the quietest in the palace." All three boys laughed as they finally got the blanket straightened out on the bed, just in time for the prince to step into the room. 

"Here you all are. Did you get situated, Gavin?" None of the people in the room missed the way that Gavin immediately became much quieter and tried to make himself smaller as soon as he noticed Geoff. 

"Yes, sire... thank you for the new clothes, and for my own room. It's really- just too much." 

"Perhaps so, but it is yours and I want you to think of it as such. Feel free to make any changes you desire, and if there is anything you like, just let me know and I will get it for you." 

"Th-thank you, sire." Geoff sighed. 

"One day, I will get you to address me as Geoff in the privacy of our quarters. Now then, Ryan is in the main area waiting for you, Ray." The younger boy nodded and slipped out of the rooms after giving Gavin a quick hug and waving goodbye to Michael. "Jack and myself will be going to bed now, my father has called a council meeting for tomorrow so I am afraid it will be a long day of meetings starting very early. I will require your presence in the morning, Michael, as these are official meetings, but you will have the afternoon to yourself. I suggest you both get to bed soon, is there anything I can do for you right now, Gavin?" 

"No thank you, sire, I have everything I need." 

"Very well then, goodnight to you." The prince turned and left and the two boys could hear him converse for a moment with his steward before they heard the sounds of two doors opening and closing. 

"Well, you heard the prince then. I'll be off to bed now, but maybe in the afternoon we can go back to the kitchen again? I know Lindsay will have her hands full with cooking for the council members, so she'd be glad to have our help. And she'd love to see you again as well." 

"Okay! That sounds top!" 

"Top?" 

"Oh... sorry, I just used that word with Ray too... it means 'really great' or 'awesome'. I'm sorry, I try to keep those words out of conversation." 

"Nah, go ahead and use them. They're weird, but they suit you." Michael smiled at the little dancer, so he would know that no insult was meant with the comment. "Now, you already know my room is just next door, so feel free to come and get me if you need anything during the night. I always leave the door unlocked so just come on in and wake me up, alright?" 

"Um- okay..." 

"Are you really alright here, Gavin?" 

"I- um- yeah, I mean, I have to do it sometime, right?" 

"Right... well, goodnight, Gavin. I hope you sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning." 

"Goodnight, Michael." The other boy left the room, and Gavin turned to get ready for bed. Caleb had come in and banked all the fires earlier in the evening, and the dim light was casting strange shadows on his walls. The little dancer found himself shivering and burrowing under the covers. It had been a very long time since he had slept by himself, especially in safety. He had spent his years as a slave as a bed-warmer, either for the man who owned, or anyone they chose to rent him out to. It was rare that there was a night he had to himself, and he found that he did not like being alone. But he remained in his bed, determined to not be a bother to Michael or Geoff, though he wanted nothing more than to run to one of their rooms and fall asleep there, even on the floor. 

Michael lay in his bed in his own room, trying to sleep, but absorbed in thoughts of the boy next door. He had seen the fear in the boy's eyes, and had been loathe to leave him alone, but he had also been reluctant to question his choice. He fell into a restless sleep, but was suddenly jolted awake hours later by a ragged shout from the other room. It only took a moment for Michael to cover the distance between their rooms and to find himself standing beside the other boy's bed. 

"Gavin! Gavin, wake up, it's just a nightmare." The younger boy was whimpering in his sleep, no more shouts but instead ragged sobs. 

"Please don't touch me, please, it still hurts so much, no more... I can't take any more, please stop!" Michael tried everything he could to wake the other boy, but nothing seemed to be working. So he finally just grabbed Gavin and pulled him upright, wrapping him in a tight hug and talking reassuringly in his ear. 

"Shhh, Gavin, it's alright. You're safe here, there's no need to be afraid, don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you." It took some time, but he finally felt Gavin begin to relax, though he still shuddered and Michael could feel the quiet sobs. 

"Michael? I- I-" 

"Hey, it's alright, just take a second and breathe. You're okay, you're safe here." Gavin's arms slowly crept up until he was hugging Michael back quite fiercely, but the squire just let him have whatever he needed to relieve the nightmare. Finally, he loosened his grasp and pulled back slightly, though Michael noticed that he was very careful not to move out of contact completely. 

"I- I'm sorry, Michael. I didn't mean to wake you up, you can go back to sleep now, I'll be alright." 

"Gavin... I know you're lying. I'm not going to leave, not until I know that you're okay anyway. Now then, was that a nightmare you had? Do you want to talk about it?" 

"I- um-" Michael noticed that Gavin was refusing to meet his eyes and carefully moved a hand to cup the smaller boy's face so that he could tilt his head up. 

"Gavin, you can talk to me about anything, I won't judge you for anything." 

"H- how did you know?" Michael smiled gently. 

"C'mon, give me more credit than that. I do know something about reassuring people." 

"Oh... right, sorry." 

"Gavin..." 

"Um... it was a- a nightmare... about being back in slavery and- and being alone in this room just made me think about all the nights that I went to sleep alone but woke up with someone else in bed with me, doing- well, doing awful things. And they hurt and I cried and I hated those nights, because at least when I knew I would be in bed with someone, I could prepare myself and it wouldn't be so bad..." Gavin squawked quietly when Michael pulled him back into his arms, squeezing tightly. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry you had to go through that... but I promise, you never have to deal with that here. No one will ever- no one will touch you in that way ever again, unless it's something you choose to do. You're safe here, Gavin. I wish I could take your nightmares away." 

"I just... I don't- I don't want to be alone, Michael." The squire grabbed his hand, pulling him up off the bed and dragging him out the door. 

"M- Michael?" 

"Just... c'mon." It was only a moment before they were in Michael's room, and Gavin was being pushed into the bed. 

"I- um- I can just sleep on the floor, I don't have to-" 

"Hush, Gavin, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor. Now go to sleep, some of us have to get up early." 

"Right, sorry... Goodnight again." 

"G'night, Gav." It took only a moment for Michael to fall asleep again, but Gavin lay there on his side, staring at the sleeping boy beside him. Sleep was eluding him for the moment, but he thought that maybe feeling another person close to him would make it easier to fall asleep. So he began to very carefully move closer and closer, trying not to wake up the other boy, but suddenly Michael's arm had lashed out, wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him in close. 

"I swear, Gavin, if you don't lay still and go to sleep..." 

"Sorry..." Gavin shifted around only a couple times more, finally making himself comfortable half on top of Michael, his head pillowed on the squire's chest. With the warmth of another body pressed to his, Gavin found that he could finally fall asleep easily, and he slept with no more nightmares.


	8. A Day in the Gardens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who is annoyed by all the fluff I'm putting in these chapters, I apologize. I'm getting annoyed at myself for writing all of them. But I have quite a complex story line coming up, and I'm hoping to move away from the fluff, just a little bit.

Michael was awoken the next morning by a gentle tapping on his forehead. He opened his eyes, moaning groggily as he saw a blurry face extremely close to his. 

"Oh, right, glasses... here." Soon enough, the blurry face came into more focus, and Michael could make out dark hair and eyes and an impish grin. 

"If you don't get out of my face, Ray, I will make you regret it." The other boy laughed and sat back, giving Michael a moment to get his bearings, something that was made more difficult by the strange weight on his chest... 

"So I see you had a cuddle buddy last night." Right. Gavin. Nightmares. Michael looked down to see Gavin curled up, still pillowed on his chest, his arms loosely wrapped around Michael's waist. 

"He- he had a nightmare, so I brought him in here because he said he didn't want to sleep alone." 

"Yeah... I remember how that is... well, Geoff sent me in here to make sure you were awake, he and Jack are getting ready now, Ryan and I are going to have breakfast with you guys and then Gavin and I are spending the morning together while the rest of you get to sit through all those super fun meetings." Michael groaned and hid his face with an arm. 

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'll be so glad when this morning is over." Just then, Gavin started to stir, finally aware of the voices around him. 

"Hmmmm... wha's goin' on? 's that you, Ray?" 

"Yeah, bud. C'mon, time to get up so Michael can get dressed." It took all of a moment for Gavin to suddenly realize where he was sleeping and jump up. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Michael! I didn't mean to- it was just-" 

"Gav, it's fine, just go get dressed so we can eat, okay? The sooner I get to these meetings, the sooner I can leave." After a hurried meal, Gavin and Ray found themselves alone in the rooms with just the empty breakfast platters and fires that still needed to be stoked. 

"So... what do you wanna do this morning, Gavin? I don't have anything that needs to be done, so we could do whatever you want." 

"I don't know... I don't really know what there is to do, I haven't explored much of the castle yet... we can do whatever you want to do." 

"You haven't seen much of the castle... then I'm guessing you probably haven't seen the gardens yet?" 

"There are gardens?" 

"I'll take that as a no... come on, I'll show you where the gardens are. There's one in particular that's my favorite, and no one else really uses it so it's perfect. It's kind of hidden too, you can only get to it by climbing through a hedge in one of the other gardens. Plus the trees are all overgrown so it's almost like it has a roof on it." Ray stood up, and it was then that Gavin really noticed what the boy was wearing. It was a mostly sheer outfit, pants that changed from opaque red at the hips to see through pink at the bottom. They billowed out around his legs and swished when he walked. The top was just a simple red vest, embroidered with roses in a sparkly red thread, with sleeves of sheer pink to match the pants. But what really caught Gavin's attention were the rows of tiny bells sewn onto the borders of the clothing. 

"You... you have bells on your clothes." Ray looked down at himself and then back up, seemingly confused. 

"Um... yeah?" 

"But... they haven't made any noises this whole time." Ray threw Gavin a cocky smirk. 

"That's a little trick I learned, and one of the reasons why I'm considered the most graceful dancer here. I learned how to move around without these bells making a single sound. Unless of course, I want them to." With that, Ray gave a little shake of his hips, making all the bells tinkle lightly. Gavin reached out a hand to carefully touch one of the bells. 

"Oh... I used to have something like these. I never learned how to move that quietly though." 

"You used something other than bells?" 

"Yeah... it was a string of very small seashells and they would click together and make the most beautiful noise. They were the only thing I had left of home, I had been collecting those very seashells when I was captured, but... well, they were taken away by my second master..." Ray reached out a hand to grab Gavin's where it was still gently fingering one of the bells. 

"Hey, I have an awesome idea. Ryan brought me back these boxes of seashells from one of his trips a while ago, and I never used them for anything... I bet we could maybe find some to use to make you a new string of shells." Gavin's eyes lit up. 

"Really? I don't want to take your stuff or anything but-" 

"Eh, it's no problem, I don't even use them. They're pretty to look at, but I'd rather you have them because you would actually use them." 

"The Lord Ryan won't mind?" 

"Just Ryan, Gavin... and no, he won't mind. He gave them to me and I know he'd be happy to see them being used for something so nice." So Ray and Gavin made a quick detour on their way to the gardens, and hastily gathered up the boxes of seashells as well as some other boxes of trinkets and some needles and thread. Soon enough, they were both ensconced in Ray's little garden, happily working away. Ray had thought to bring an old blanket, and so they spread out the boxes, and threaded many things together to see what sounds they made. There was very little conversation, but none was needed as they whiled away the morning among the rosebuds and overgrown trees which cast a pleasant shade. The sun was bright overhead, but the light that trickled through was soft and green, muted and dappled by the leaves and vines woven together. 

"Oh, Gavin, that's so nice. I love the sound that it makes, and the coins look so pretty." Gavin looked up from where he had been working on his string when Ray spoke. The string had a double woven pattern, mixing thin, round mother-of-pearl shells with small bronze and silver coins. He shook the string lightly, laughing at the sound it made. 

"It's funny, when I listen to this string, it's almost like being home again. Da- a friend and I used to sleep on the beach sometimes, and when the waves rush back out to sea, they drag the shells and rocks along, and it makes a sound very similar to this." Ray smiled softly. 

"Well, why don't you give it a try? Here, you made a pretty long one, so we can tie it around your waist." Ray busily fastened the strings in place around the other boy. 

"Wait... I- um..." 

"Hey. Gavin, look at me. C'mon now, just don't think about it, alright? It's just me here, no one else ever visits this garden except Michael, and that's only when he's looking for me. So don't be afraid. You can dance here and no one will be around to bother you." Gavin looked down at his feet, shuffling quietly. 

"O- okay." 

"Good! Now, I'm just gonna sit again, and finish this string I'm working on." Sure enough, Ray sat down, and Gavin watched him closely for a few minutes to make sure that he wasn't going to watch. But Ray kept his gaze on the trinkets, and his back to the other dancer and Gavin slowly became more comfortable. Ray smiled when he heard the tinkling of the shells around the foreign boy's waist, but kept his attention on his work. He heard little giggles accompanying the sounds, and soon found himself jingling his bells along with the shells and coins, to match the other's rhythm. Suddenly, Gavin twirled around into his line of vision, shells clanking wildly, and flopped onto the blanket on his back. 

"The sky is so pretty, Ray. It's so blue between the leaves, such a bright blue, just like the ocean was at home, at least when there weren't any storms. And there was a little patch over there with no leaves overhead, and when I stand there and spin and look up and listen to the shells, I can imagine I'm home again..." 

"Gavin... if you want to go home, you still can... you know that you're free to go anytime you want." The little dancer sat up again and looked straight into Ray's eyes, his face flushed and his green eyes looking happier than they ever had. 

"I know... but this is my home now. Someday... someday I'll tell you about my island... but it's a painful story and the day is too pretty for something like that. What are you working on now?" Ray was lost for just a moment at the abrupt shift in conversation but then refocused on the question he had just been asked. 

"Oh... um, well... I was making them for you." 

"For me?" 

"Yeah, um... just more pieces to match that one. I found this one box of coins carved into pretty shapes, and I thought they would make nice pieces for your wrists and ankles to match the one you made. I wove some shells in too, so they make the same noise, but these ones are smaller so it's a lighter noise." 

"Ooo, that's bloody top, Ray. Here, tie them on so I can try them." Quickly situating his new decorations, Gavin jumped up again, twirling around a few times and laughing at the sound he made. He stopped right in a beam of sunlight, and looked over at Ray, his eyes dancing with joy. 

"I- I guess you like them then." 

"Of course I like them! You're the best friend ever, Ray." Gavin skipped over and grabbed Ray, pulling him up off the ground. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Come dance with me... I heard you jingling your bells earlier, and I like the way they sound together." Ray laughed and quickly twirled away, skipping around one of the many rose bushes that decorated the ground. Gavin followed close behind, slightly less gracefully, but still much better than many of the other palace dancers. The two boys twirled around, bells and coins and shells clinking in a cacophony of sound that somehow worked. They lost track of the time as the sun got higher and higher and they continued to jump and spin and dance around each other. Until Ray caught a glimpse of a movement in the shrubs nearby and quickly stopped, grabbing Gavin's sleeve to halt the other boy. A large basket was passed through, followed by an oddly shaped package, and finally a head of curly red hair. 

"I figured I'd find you idiots here. Do you even know what time it is?" Ray glanced guiltily through the leaves, noticing that the sun was at least an hour past it's zenith. 

"Um... I do now." 

"You two are such idiots. You're lucky I knew that you'd be here when I couldn't find you. And knew that you would forget about eating, Ray." The darker-skinned boy flushed. 

"Hey... I've gotten better at that... I'm not-" Michael's scowl suddenly morphed into a grin. 

"I'm kidding, Ray, you're fine." The other boy still looked slightly saddened, but he nodded. Michael handed the picnic basket to Gavin. 

"Here, Gav, go set that up. I did really bring you guys food. Ray, c'mere for a second." Michael and Ray went off to the side, and Gavin emptied out the picnic basket, but also kept half an eye on them, though he couldn't hear anything they said. 

"Michael, you really don't have to- I know it was just a joke, I just-" 

"Ray, just stop for a second. Look, I'm sorry... I mean it as a joke, I didn't think it would bother you but I won't do it anymore. I know you've gotten much better at that, I just... well, I don't think I'll ever forget those days when you would always forget to eat, even though we knew you weren't really forgetting." 

"I promise, Michael, I'm not going back to that... I really did just forget today, and Gavin didn't say anything either, though I guess if he's anything like I was, he probably wouldn't... I'm sorry I forgot about that though, I really should have remembered with him around." Michael moved his hands from where they had been resting on Ray's shoulders, to cup his cheeks. 

"Hey, no harm done, don't worry about it. It sounded like you guys were having fun anyway, and from what I could hear, it sounded like you got him to dance again, which is pretty cool because it's easy to tell that he really loves dancing, despite the memories." 

"Yeah... just like me..." Gavin, sitting as a distance, could see the tension all rush out of Ray's body, though he still couldn't hear the words being spoken. 

"Yeah, but unlike with when we were trying to help you, we have you around now, and you understand better than any of us what he's going through and I know you won't let us make the same mistakes with him. So just relax, you're doing everything fine. C'mon, let's go eat. Gavin looks like he's going to come bounding over here any moment, he's quite worried." Ray bowed his head and nodded, giving Michael a quick hug before he made his way back to the blanket. 

"I hope you brought us something good to eat!" 

"Well, I asked Lindsay to pack me something, so it should be pretty good." 

"Sweet. You brought your lute too?" Gavin was surprised to see Michael flush lightly. 

"You play the lute?" 

"Little known fact about Michael, Gavin... actually, I think there are only a handful of people who know." 

"And I would like to keep it that way, thank you very much, Ray. I just picked it up from Lindsay, she had taken it to be retuned after I dropped it down the stairs a few weeks ago. That's the only reason it's out of my room." 

"Michael!" Gavin bounced happily on the blanket. "Play a song, please please please." Michael sighed, shaking his head at Ray, even though he moved to grab the oddly shaped package. 

"Thanks a lot, Ray." 

"Eh, you know he would've found out eventually." Michael just sighed again as he carefully removed the paper, revealing an instrument with a wide belly, thin neck, and several strings. He carefully plucked the strings a few times, getting used to the instrument again before he moved into playing a fast paced song. Gavin listened for a moment, clapping to the beat, before jumping up. 

"Ray, Ray, come dance with me." The boys danced and twirled around some more, as Michael sat on the blankets and played his instrument. The rest of the afternoon was spent in much the same way, with the three boys alternating between dancing, talking, and eating the food that was packed, until the light filtering through the leaves grew dark. It was late before the three lads returned to the prince's rooms, but the older men were still not back, and they all curled up on cushions in front of the fire, Ray and Michael pulling out a deck of cards again, while Gavin lay with his head pillowed on Michael's leg. 

"Goddammit, Ray, one of these days I will learn not to play with you. It's a good thing we aren't gambling, because you are unnaturally good at games." 

"What can I say? There was a phrase my mom taught me when I was very little and sad about losing to the other children... it was something like 'lucky in cards or lucky in love' and it used to make me happy, because I was awful at games and so I thought I would get to be lucky in love. But then I gradually got better and better at games, until I was always winning no matter what and I kinda just- well, I gave up on being lucky in love." 

"Well it's cool that you were proved wrong, huh?" 

"Wrong?" 

"Yeah, I mean you're still stupidly lucky with the cards, and you're pretty lucky in love too, cause you've got Ryan and all of the rest of us." 

"Oh... well, yeah I guess so." 

"You know, for someone who acts so cocky most of the time, I forget how insecure you can be. C'mon, clean the cards up, I refuse to play one more game with you." 

"What, don't want to be humiliated anymore?" 

"Not on your life. Besides, Gavin is asleep, and don't think I haven't noticed the way your eyes have been dropping." 

"Yeah, but-" 

"Don't worry, I'm not making you leave. Just figure you might as well lay down for a while, no telling how late the Prince and the others will be back and we'll probably all be up early again tomorrow." Michael re-situated himself against a chair, and it wasn't long till he had both of the younger boys asleep with their heads in his lap. He had meant to stay awake and wait for the others, as he figured a squire should probably do, but the next thing he remembered was Ryan carefully removing Ray from his lap while Geoff did the same for Gavin. Geoff situated Gavin in his own bed, and Michael snuck into the room once everyone else had gone to bed, curling up around the other boy, not sure that he would be okay with waking up alone in the dark room. Just in case he woke up in the middle of the night of course. Fortunately, that never happened, and everyone slept quite soundly that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saying I use in this chapter, 'lucky in cards or lucky in love,' is something that my mom always used to say to my brothers and I when we were upset about losing. It actually bothered me to the point where I refuse to play games, even now, because I am naturally lucky at games, and when I was a kid I was terrified that I would be unlucky in love as a result.


	9. Interlude: A Month's Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just an interlude of sorts. No dialogue, no real revelations. Just some stuff I wanted to add to the story that I didn't feel like writing a whole chapter for because the way I write, it would probably take me 3 or 4 chapters to get this all out, and I would like to move on to the next main plotline in this story. I promise, back to the real stuff on the next chapter!

The next month passed in a blur of happy days for Gavin. It was early in that time that Geoff made a very special offer to Gavin. If the young boy so desired, he could become the prince's court dancer. The position really required very little, just attending certain important meetings and making an appearance at banquets and festivities. The only problem was that Gavin would have to dance in front of groups of people, though Geoff said that he could dance in a group if he wanted to, with other important dancers from the palace. Gavin asked for some time to consider the offer, which Geoff gladly gave him. As the prince pointed out, there was no one else he wanted to offer the position to. It was not required of the prince to have a dancer, though it was required of a king, and so Geoff would need to find a dancer some day. Gavin thought that he would like to take the position, it sounded wonderful to him. He just wasn't sure if he would be able to dance in front of other people like he was supposed to. He decided to work on it with Ray, but in the mean time, there was plenty else to keep him busy. 

He and Ray spent many more days in the little garden, dancing and laughing with each other. Sometimes, they would just lay on the blanket and talk - about both their days as slaves, about the way Gavin was adjusting, sometimes just about the palace gossip. Sometimes Michael would join them, usually bringing along his lute because Gavin loved to hear him play it. He would alternate between playing upbeat songs for dancing along to, or quiet songs meant to invoke peace and calm in the listeners. 

There were morning when Michael would attend the training with the new knights, helping Alan and Monty to teach them complicated new moves, or just giving them someone else to practice their every-growing skills on. Gavin liked to go along and watch, sitting on the cushions under the tents. He thought Michael looked absolutely brilliant, dressed in his light leather armor, swords twirling and flashing in the early morning sun. But even better than that were the rare days that Michael and Geoff would train together, the prince and his squire both practicing their skills. Gavin thought that their fights were one of the most beautiful dances he had ever seen, their swords coming so close that he thought for sure that someone would be cut, sliced in half before his very eyes. And yet, there was always a duck, a twirl, a jump, and they both came out miraculously unscathed every time. 

There were a couple days when he attended meetings with Geoff, getting to see the King for the first time. He was a large man, who looked like he had once been a young and happy man. But time had not been kind to the older man. He looked old, so old, with skin that was dry and papery and covered in dark spots. His hair was nearly gone, thin and white and brittle-looking. He had a large frame, one that must have been lean and fit in his prime, but now had a liberal coating of fat. Yet at the same time, his face and hands were gaunt, skin stretched tight over every bone and blood vessel. 

Gavin noticed that his eyes were the same shade of grey as Geoff's, yet they seemed so empty. He coughed constantly into a dirty white handkerchief that he kept in his sleeve, and it came away spotted with blood more than once. Jack later told Gavin that the King was not expected to live much longer, all the best healers had been consulted, but none could offer a cure for his ailments. Indeed, after the death of the Queen, Geoff's mother, the King had simply let go, and his body was no longer struggling to hold on. 

Gavin couldn't say that he much liked attending the meetings. They were long and boring, and it took bloody hours for anyone to say anything. Fortunately, the little dancer had no official position, so he could easily beg out of attending the meetings after he got his fill of attending the dull events. All in all, the castle was quiet for most the month, everyone busy preparing for the arrival of the foreign kings that was fast approaching. 

Ray had surprised Gavin with several outfits of the kind that palace dancers usually wore for formal events, offering to help the boy find his own particular style. It was through this experimentation with clothing that Gavin discovered that Jack was a master seamster. Ray had given Jack instructions on what the other dancer wanted, along with the donated outfits and some pieces of raw material he had on hand. Gavin hated taking all these things from Ray, but he had been in Ray's rooms several times, and had seen all the chests of things that Ryan brought back for Ray from his many travels. Ray was just glad that someone could finally put some of the things to good use, he hated seeing them sitting around. 

And so Gavin ended up with several dancer's outfits, most in shades of blue and green. His particular favorite was a color that reminded of the seas around his island home, and it was this outfit that he sewed his favorite strings of seashells and coins onto. The pants were similar to Ray's - fitted at the waist and ankles, opaque at the top and fading to sheer at the bottom. But Gavin had cut slits in his in several places, so that they flowed like ribbons or waves around his legs. His sleeves were done the same way, sheer pieces attached to a vest that he decorated with more little shells and carved coins. It was his favorite outfit to wear, but he only consented to wear it around Michael and Ray, at least at the beginning. 

It was a sunny day near the end of the month when that all changed, Ray and Gavin dancing around in Ray's apartment while all the others were at meetings. Neither of them had expected the meeting to let out early, and so were completely unaware for not just Ryan, but all four of the missing men to come walking into Ryan's apartment in the middle of their dancing. Gavin immediately froze in place, hiding himself behind Ray as they both stammered excuses. The little dancer eventually bolted from the room, locking himself into his own rooms in the prince's quarters. It had taken hours that night for Michael to coax him out of the room, and Geoff and Jack and Ryan were extremely apologetic for scaring the boy. It took a long conversation that night to reassure Gavin that there was nothing wrong with his dancing. Somewhere along the way, the boy had picked up the idea that him returning to dancing also meant returning to a life as a whore, like he had before, and he was determined not to do that. 

Geoff was determined to quell those thoughts, and though he spent plenty of time praising the boy's exceptional skills, he also made the boundaries quite clear. No one in the palace was to be allowed to touch him unless he wanted it. If anyone forced him to do anything, Geoff would take care of it. This was a different life now, he was a free man, free to do anything he wanted. If he wanted to dance, he could. If he did not want to dance around certain people, that was fine too. Although, none of the gents would mind if Gavin would dance around them, as they thought he was quite beautiful as he twirled around. Jack claimed that the boy reminded of a breath of sea air - the teal clothing, the tinkling shells, and the flowing way with which the boy danced. 

Gavin spent many hours in his room, trying to make the place look nicer. The tapestries had been hung, and were a beautiful shade of blue that looked like the sea on a cloudy day. He was slowly amassing little trinkets that he spread around to remind him of nice things. There was a vase of dried flowers that Ray had presented him with, to add some bright color to the space. There was a stitching that Jack had given him, a wall hanging with a beautiful foreign poem that Gavin hung on the side of his wardrobe. Michael had made him strings of shells that they hung from the ceiling, and when Gavin raised his hand and knocked the strings together, they made a soft rustling noise. Ryan had, upon learning about Gavin's dislike of the darkness, given the boy an enchanted globe that would illuminate the room in soft colors. Geoff took it upon himself to find a painting to fill the blank wall above the bed, and with some recommendations, had found a seascape so realistic that Gavin thought he could see the waves moving at times. Lindsay had even presented him a family of little cats that she had carefully crafted out of clay and baked in the bread ovens. They sat in a row on his wardrobe, where they watched over the whole room. 

The little dancer thought that he had a wonderful life, full of beautiful things and amazing people. He had so many friends here, something he had never had in his whole life. He was free to do whatever he wanted, and go where he chose. He still carried the scars of his past, still refused to eat until the food was offered to him and never daring to ask for more, even when he wanted it. But he was getting used to all the new things, had even consented to wear the new clothes that were still hanging in his wardrobe, along with his carefully tucked-away dancing outfits. He still slept with Michael every night, unable to sleep when left on his own. He had tried, at first, not wanting to bother the young squire. But when Michael found out that he had only slept about 4 hours in 3 days, he immediately dragged the dancer to bed, despite the fact that it was only the middle of the day, and held him tight until the boy fell into an exhausted sleep. He had still had nightmares sometimes, even when he was not alone at night, but his friends could always chase them away, and Gavin started to actually feel like he might never go back to that way of life. 

But as we all now, nothing stays wonderful forever...


	10. Claiming His Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to try something new now where I include parts of the story where Gavin is not really involved, especially now that I'm getting into a new story arc and I need to explain some things that Gavin will not be learning about quite yet.

"Again, Ray, c'mon!" 

"Gavin, please, I need a rest." 

"Please, one more time!" Ray groaned and flopped down onto the grass at his feet. 

"Gavin, seriously. This is all we've been doing for three days. I need a break. We have it all perfect anyway." Michael looked up from where he was absently plucking his lute nearby. 

"Gav, come sit down for a minute, let Ray have a break." The dancer sighed and flounced over to the squire, sinking to the ground in a huff. He leaned his head on Michael's shoulder, absently picking at the long green scarves tied to his wrists. 

"'m sorry, Ray. I'm just anxious... I want it to be perfect." Ray rolled over onto his stomach to look at Gavin, untangling his own blue scarves which were wrapped around his body by all the rolling around on the ground. 

"It's no problem, I don't mind all the practicing... we've already got it perfect though, more practice isn't gonna do much." Gavin stared at the ground, still picking at his wrists until Michael reached over into his line of vision and grabbed his hands. 

"You need to chill, seriously. It's fine, Geoff is going to love it, and when you ever have to perform it, you'll be wonderful. Now, just relax for a while, we have to go back to the rooms soon for dinner." Gavin spun himself around and flopped backwards, his head falling on Ray's stomach. Michael laughed as the dark-haired let out an 'oomph', trying to push the other boy off before giving up. The three of them stayed there in the little garden, not talking for a while. Ray was just starting to doze off when Michael stood and began packing up his instrument. 

"Ugghhh do we really need to go? I just want to nap..." 

"You can stay here, Ray, but I'm not bringing you food this time." Michael's statement was met with a tongue being stuck out before Ray finally pushed Gavin off of him, standing up to brush bits of grass off of his favorite red dancer's outfit. 

"I will never understand why you always wear those outfits, Ray, they look so uncomfortable." Gavin giggled from the ground as he sat up and brushed the dirt off his own green outfit. 

"I dunno, Michael, they're pretty top. Plus, they look nice."  "Yeah, what Gav said." The three boys walked back to the prince's rooms, teasing Gavin about looking pretty in his clothes. The gents were there already, Caleb organizing the dinner trays on the table by the fire. Michael went to change, still in his clothes from training that morning, while Gavin and Ray took their usual seats by Geoff and Ryan's feet respectively. Once Michael was back, and situated on his own cushion across from the other boys, they all dug into the food. Geoff and Jack were having a conversation about the council meeting that had taken place that day, and Ryan and Ray were discussing a new dance. The foreign envoys were arriving at the end of the week, and there was much to be done before then. 

But Gavin had something especially important that was concerning him, and it had to do with something Geoff had said to him some time before. It had been a couple days after the older men had walked in on the two boys dancing together in the mage's apartments. Geoff had taken him aside a few days later, and Gavin could still remember the conversation quite clearly. 

"Hey, Gavin... I have something I want to ask you. But- well- I want you to know that you can say no if you don't want to do it, you don't have to, I just figure I could ask because maybe you would but I don't know so..." 

"Sire, please..." Gavin was very concerned about whatever Geoff wanted to ask him that had the normally calm prince so flustered. "I- I don't even know what you want to ask." 

"Oh... well, I guess that might be important." Geoff laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "So- um... I just thought I would put the offer out there that maybe... you could be- you would want to be my... my court dancer." 

"W-wait... what?" 

"No, no! It's just an offer... I don't want you to feel like you have to do it, and you don't... I don't even need to have a court dancer while a prince, I won't need to find one until it's time for me to be King. But I thought... that I would offer it to you now... because I would really like you to be my court dancer. I've seen your dancing, and it's absolutely beautiful! I know you don't like dancing in front of other people, but I figure I'd tell you now, because you'd have quite a long time to think about it." 

"Oh... okay.... well, I'll- I'll think about it, but... I just... I need to go right now, okay?" 

"Yeah..." Geoff backed up, realizing that Gavin just needed some space. "It's fine, take all the time you want to think about it. I promise, I won't bring it up again." Gavin nodded, staring at the ground, refusing to meet Geoff's eyes. 

"I will, I'll think about it... I- thank you, sire." Gavin came back from his memories with a jolt, noticing that the other people in the room were staring at him. "Um, sorry... I think I zoned out there." 

"Yeah, we noticed." Gavin ignored Michael's snarky comment and turned to where Geoff was sitting. 

"Sire... can we go talk in private for a moment?" Geoff looked surprised, but quickly recovered. 

"Sure, but only if you call me Geoff." 

"Okay... Geoff..." Ray shot Gavin a reassuring smile and a thumbs up as the prince led him back to his bedroom. Gavin felt slightly better with the door closed over, knowing that he only had to talk to Geoff instead of the whole group. 

"So what's up, bud?" The pet name soothed a little more of the tight ball of fear inside Gavin. 

"Do you remember the conversation we had a few weeks ago? About- about me being your dancer?" The foreign boy could see Geoff's eyes become a little more guarded, though he kept his body language open and friendly. 

"I remember. Is this about that?" 

"Yeah... I- um..." Geoff reached out and grabbed his hand, running a soothing thumb across the back of his hand. 

"Whatever you have to say is perfectly alright, Gavin. And you don't have to tell me now, we still have plenty of time to figure this all out." 

"I know but... well, I already made my decision. I made my decision back when you asked me, I just... needed time to come to terms with it." 

"Okay... just take your time and tell me whatever it is." Gavin took a deep breath and looked Geoff straight in the eye. 

"I would like to take you up on your offer, si- Geoff. I would be honored to be your dancer." Geoff laughed and swept Gavin up in a hug. 

"I'm so glad! I was hoping you'd say yes, there's no one else I would ever want as my dancer." Gavin blushed lightly. 

"There's- um- there's one more thing. Ray and I have been practicing a dance for the welcoming ceremonies later this week... We thought, that way, you could announce my position any time you wanted... he said it would be okay for him to dance with me at the banquet, so we put something together..." Geoff smiled softly. 

"Of course that's alright. The dancers can do anything they want, it's their dances. Also, you don't have to dance this time, if that's too much for you, we can just keep this quiet until later." 

"No... I'd- um- if you don't mind, I'd rather do it now, because... well, I'll have to bloody do it someday, won't I? Might as well start now... And... I know that I wouldn't be able to sit with all of you at the banquet, because it's a big formal event, but if I'm your dancer, then I could definitely sit with you, and there wouldn't be any problems." 

"That's true, I had forgotten about the seating at the banquet... since Michael has to be near to wait on me, and Ray will be with Ryan... that's perfect then. I'll tell my father tomorrow that I have appointed you to a new position. Will you- will you show us your dance? I'd like to see it, even though I'm sure it's perfect." 

"I..." Geoff saw Gavin's hesitance, but also saw a silent strength in those bright green eyes that was pushing him to give a particular answer. "As long as Ray does it with me..." 

"Perfect! We can even get Michael to play for us, I'll order him to do so if I have to." Sure enough, it took something close to an order to get the squire to pull out his instrument, grumbling as he did so. Ray was more than willing to show off the dance they had so carefully choreographed, and so he and Gavin retrieved their long scarves, blue and green respectively, and stood back to back in a hastily cleared portion of the room as the music began. 

It started with Ray twirling around Gavin, the scarves wrapping around the boy as if embracing him. Suddenly, the music picked up suddenly, and Gavin spun around the opposite way, effectively untangling the drifting scarves. The rest of the dance was a complicated series of spins and turns, the scarves trailing behind them, mimicking their movements and winding around each other in a dance that reminded the onlookers of the movements of the sea on a sunny day. 

The dance was beautiful and elegant, both performers putting their all into the movements. Dancing came so naturally to the two boys, it was hard to imagine either of them doing anything else (though while Ray walked with a natural grace, Gavin seemed exceptionally clumsy when not dancing). There were movements that made the audience catch their breath, sure that the two boys were going to spin right into each other, but they always just narrowly avoided it. Now Ray was in the middle, Gavin dancing around him as the scarves caressing them both. Then there was a leap and a twirl and both boys were far apart, scarves still trailing behind them as if reaching for each other, though they had both moved already. Gavin leapt up while Ray ducked down and suddenly the dance was over, the two dancers panting in the center of the room. 

Even Michael put down his instrument to clap for them, though he had seen the dance a thousand times in the last three days, it never ceased to amaze him. Of course, he was a soldier, not at all accustomed to quite that level of grace and elegance. 

"Wow, that was... simply amazing! No matter what, you'll be a huge hit at the banquet. You have absolutely nothing to worry about with that dance, it was perfect." Gavin beamed happily at the praise while Ray smiled exhaustedly. Ryan noticed the look on his face, and gestured the younger boy over, tucking him against his side. 

"It seems like you must have practiced quite a bit. It's been a long time since I've seen Ray this exhausted." 

" _Sifh_..." Ray flushed lightly as Michael laughed. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ray... I know we talked about it earlier but-" 

"Nope, no buts. I'm more than happy to do it, I like dancing with you. It's just been a long time since I had to work that hard on a dance. Dances for the magics, the ones I usually do, are much easier because they're spur of the moment... you just do whatever feels right. I'm just tired, no harm done." Gavin still looked guilty but didn't say anything else. Geoff grabbed his hand, pulling him down to sit on the couch. The dancer was startled by the movement, but soon found himself tucked against the prince's side, a warm strong arm thrown over his shoulders. 

"Ryan, have you learned any more about the strange happenings in the neighboring kingdoms?" 

"No, I sent a team of mages and soldiers to investigate, but I have not heard back from them in quite some time." 

"That is... concerning. What was the last news you heard from them?" 

"They were tracking my path to the Northern Marshes. I believe they were about half a day away at the time, that was two days ago. I had told them not to enter the marshes, since we have no idea of what's going on." 

"Hm... Give that news, I am reluctant to send anyone else that way. Jack, I'd like you to write messages to Burnie and Matt tomorrow, I wish to discuss this situation with them. The disappearance of our men is troubling me greatly, and I cannot put it aside any longer. But keep it quiet, I don't want my father to find out about this yet. Speaking of which, how go the preparations for the arrival of our company this week?" 

"Everything is just about organized, the rooms are ready, the castle has been cleaned for tower to cellar. All that is left is what will be done closer to that time, cooking all the foods and making up the beds." 

"Very good. Ugh, and soon we must start all the annoying formalities and fancy dinners. That's what else I meant to bring up. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Gavin, but things will be different around here for the duration of the meetings." 

"Different?" 

"Yes, unfortunately, we cannot be so... informal. The others have had practice with this, so I'll be expecting them to help you out. Basically, you just have to make sure to be aware of your status compared with everyone else's. You've been very good with that, even when I wish you weren't, so I don't think you'll have a problem with that. But as my dancer, you'll have a status equal to that of Michael and Ray, so you're technically higher than the servants, though I don't think you'll ever need to order them around so that's not a big deal. Also, anytime you leave my rooms, you'll need to wear one of your dancer outfits. If you ever have any questions about what's appropriate, feel free to ask. I don't expect you to just know all of this, but I want to make sure you aren't uncomfortable around any of the people who are coming. The outfits are also a protection for you, so that people will know your status and will treat you as such." 

"Okay... I think I can manage all that." Geoff pulled him closer in a little side hug. 

"Don't worry about it too much, I don't think you'll have any problems with it. It's getting late now though, so I think it's time we all head to bed." Michael giggled quietly. 

"I think Ray agrees with you completely." The other four looked over to see the young boy sound asleep, tucked securely against Ryan's chest. Ryan shook his head fondly. 

"Guess I'm carrying him up then. It's a good thing he's so small." The mage, with Jack's help, carefully stood and scooped Ray up, cradling the boy as he said his goodnights and left the room. Fortunately, it was late enough that there was no one in the halls, as Ray would probably be mortified if anyone saw Ryan carrying him around like that. His magic came in handy for opening the doors to their rooms, and soon enough he was moving to place Ray down on the boy's bed. 

"No..." Ryan jumped a little when Ray spoke, still trying to untangle his arms from around his neck. 

"Oh, so you are awake? No what, _atiyah_." 

"Not this bed... wanna sleep with you tonight." 

"Ray..." 

"Please, _sifh_... just 'ne night, promise..." Ryan sighed heavily, reaching into the wardrobe to pull out the tunic that Ray usually wore to bed. 

"Alright, fine... here, put on your sleep clothes and then come join me." The boy immediately started stripping, and Ryan left to go to his own room, quickly changing into his own nightclothes. Soon enough, Ray was standing in his doorway, wearing his tunic which was actually an old one of Ryan's and so quite large on his small frame. 

"Ryan? Is it okay if I come in?" 

"Of course it is. You'd think that after so long living with me, you know that I would never deny you." Ray blushed lightly under the slight rebuke as he scrambled over and climbed under the blankets. 

"I know but... I'd just rather ask, just in case you ever did want to say no." Ryan finished banking the fireplace in the room and quickly climbed under the warm covers. Ray immediately slide over, pressing up against his larger frame. 

"Alright, what's this about now? You haven't needed to sleep with me for quite some time." Ray shuffled closer, burying his head in Ryan's chest so that their eyes couldn't meet. 

"Yeah, I was trying really hard... it's just... all this talk of whatever is going on in the Northern Marshes and I had a dream last night that you and Geoff and Gavin and I were in this place and I didn't recognize it... but there was darkness everywhere and it just kept getting closer and closer to us, with these big black hands that were reaching and grasping and it pulled you away and I could hear Gavin screaming as the claws grabbed him and one of the claws went right through the prince's chest and then they came for me and it just pure darkness and pain..." 

" _Atiyah_..."  

"I know it's silly, I just feel better here right now... just want to know you're here tonight." Ryan wrapped his arms around Ray, rolling onto his back and pulling the young boy on top of him. 

"Hush now, everything is alright..." 

"But, what if this is another one of those prophetic dreams? I couldn't, I just..." 

"Ray, stop. If it is, we will deal with that when the time comes, alright? I promise, I never ignore any of your dreams nor your concerns. Just go to sleep, I promise that I won't be going anywhere tonight." Ryan started humming a low song, knowing that it helped Ray fall asleep quickly. It was rare nowadays, but there were still times that the young boy needed reassurance, especially when the magic sent him special dreams that were considered prophetic, though open to many interpretations. He meant what he said, he would remember the dream, and he would bring it up to Geoff tomorrow. But for now, they all needed to sleep.


	11. The Welcoming Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the break! I think I rewrote this chapter 3 or 4 times, and I'm not still not entirely happy with it, but eh.

Unfortunately, Ryan did not get a chance to talk to Geoff for the rest of the week, because the King was stricken with a sudden illness and could not leave his rooms. It was left to the Prince to finish with organizing the rest of the preparations, and he threw himself completely into the cause. He had to be forced to take meals, slept as few hours as possible, determined to make sure everything was perfect in his father's absence. 

Ray continued to have the same dream, night after night, and stayed in Ryan's bed every night. Ryan could see him getting more tired and more haggard every day, but did not know what to do for him besides reassure him at night. Nothing would make the dreams go away, nothing could make him feel any better. 

The week went by in a flurry of cleaning and decorating and preparing the castle for the arrival of their guests, and the day of the arrival almost seemed like a let-down. Both groups arrived right around noon and immediately retired to their rooms to rest before the welcoming banquet that evening. Gavin was wandering the halls alone, Michael was busy with practice and Geoff was laying down for a bit before dinner. He wasn't really sure where he was going, finding himself in one of the highest towers of the castle, but then he found a lithe figure sitting in one of the windows, staring out at the town below. 

"Ray! What are you doing in that window?" 

"Oh, Gavin... nothing, I just like to sit here and look at the view." Gavin came up close, but was afraid to touch the other boy for fear of tipping him over the edge. 

"Um... are you sure you aren't going to fall?" 

"I wouldn't fall, but if it makes you nervous, I'll come down." 

"You don't have to, I just-" 

"It's fine, Gav, don't worry about it." Ray wandered down the hall a little further, finding a small balcony and sitting on the floor outside. Gavin followed behind and sat down next to him, a little concerned about the way his friend was acting. It had not escaped his notice that Ray was not even wearing his dancer outfits, something that was very rare for the young boy and not usually a good sign. 

"So... ready for our dance tonight?" 

"I guess... I mean, we practiced enough so I'm sure it'll be fine. And Geoff loved it when you showed him, so that's good too." 

"God, I'm so bloody nervous." 

"It happens, you'll get over it eventually." Ray caught Gavin's wince out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "I'm sorry, that was kinda mean. It's okay to be nervous, I was so nervous the first couple times I ended up getting sick afterwards..." 

"Ray... you okay?" The darker skinned boy sighed and leaned over, resting his head on Gavin's shoulder. 

"I'm sorry, I just haven't been sleeping very well lately, and I don't deal well with being tired." 

"Need to talk about it?" 

"Not right now... can we just stay here for a little while?" 

"Sure... we have a couple hours till we have to get ready anyway." Gavin reached an arm across and pulled Ray closer to him, situating them both comfortably against the railing. He could tell that Ray didn't really want to talk, so he just sat there, alternating between humming and singing as he started out across the landscape between the railing posts. The passage of time went completely unnoticed until Gavin was startled by a hand coming to rest on his head. He surfaced from his reverie to find Ray sound asleep, still leaning against his shoulder, and Ryan standing over them. 

"Hey there, Michael and I have been looking for you, it's just about time to start getting ready." 

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't realize how much time had gone by." 

"It's fine, I'm glad to see Ray relaxing, even if just for a couple of hours." The boy in question had failed to even move so far, or make any acknowledgment that he was aware of the two others discussing him. 

"Is he alright? He's been so quiet lately..." 

"I know... he hasn't been sleeping well, bad dreams and- and nothing I can do is keeping them away. Here, let me take him so you can go get ready. We don't want you to be rushed for your first performance." 

"Alright. I suppose I'll see you at the banquet then, my lord." 

"Indeed, I look forward to seeing you dance again." With that, Ryan strode away, the court mage carefully cradling his little dancer. Gavin darted away to his own room, quite literally running into Michael just as he got there. The two boys prepared themselves in their finest outfits, finishing just as the Prince emerged from his rooms, accompanied by his squire and manservant. 

"Thank you, Caleb, that will be all for now. I know you and your friends have your own festivities planned for tonight, so I am giving you the rest of the night off, we can bank our own fires for once." Caleb's face immediately lit up, though he was careful to retain a professionally subservient demeanor. 

"Thank you very much, my prince, I will put my time to good use." He bowed respectfully and all but ran from the room, no doubt excited to have so much time off. 

"Are the rest of you ready to go?" 

"Yes sire, everything is ready." Geoff turned his tired gaze to Gavin. 

"Are you ready for this, Gavin? I know it's a little late to back out, but I might be able to do something..." 

"That isn't necessary, sire. I'm ready, and- and I want to do this." Geoff's gaze softened and he smiled lightly. 

"Alright then, let's get going." Gavin always marveled at the change that overcame Geoff when he had to put on his 'prince face' as Jack called it. When in his chambers, with just his friends around, he was a fun open man, always laughing and smiling. But when he had to go out for official duties, he had a way of making himself look much bigger and more imposing. His eyes looked less tired and more calculating, and his mouth would look like he never smiled in his life. 

They walked down the halls, the prince flanked by two guards, with Michael and Gavin right behind him and Jack behind them. They would all be seated at the banquet, though at the table below that where the King and the Prince and their guests would sit. Ryan and Ray, along with the King and his guards, met them at the doorway to the banquet hall, where the rest of the attendees were already seated. While the guards announced the royalty, Ray and Gavin stepped to the side, as they would not be entering the hall until the music announced their dance. 

"Are you ready for this, Gavin?" The two boys fussed over each others' scarves, making sure they were tied the right way so that they would trail behind them as they danced. 

"I guess. I mean, I'm pretty sure we both know the dance all the way through, so I don't think there will be any problems. I am nervous though..." 

"That's alright. Just focus on me, right? Ignore everyone else in there, it's just me and you dancing in the garden like all those other days." Gavin took a deep breath, fumbling with the scarves for a moment longer before he stilled and finally looked at Ray's face. 

"Yeah, just like dancing in the garden." Just then, the two boys heard the music starting within the dining hall. 

"Good luck, Gav." 

"Good luck to you too, Ray." Two guards flung the heavy wood doors open, and the dancers twirled their way into the room, halting in the cleared area just as the music came to a halt. Gavin took the moment's respite to get his bearing in the place. The two of them stood in a cleared spot of floor in the middle of the hall. Behind them, on either side of the great doors, were two huge fireplaces, over which whole chickens were still roasting away and pots of soup were kept warm. On either side were three rows of long wooden tables, where all the knights and visitors entourage sat. 

At the other end of the room were three more rows of tables, but these were set up above the rest, each slightly higher than the one in front of it. The one in the very front was for special knights, heads of the castle, and minor nobles. The second was for the more important nobles and people like Ryan and Michael. There were two empty seats between the aforementioned men where Gavin knew he and Ray would sit. The very topmost table was reserved for the King, the Prince, and the guests of honor. 

Gavin could see the two foreign leaders, sitting to the left of the King as Geoff sat to his right. They were both dark-skinned, with long black hair pulled back in elaborate braids. Their clothes were made of furs and tough cloths, obviously meant to withstand harsh conditions. But one had eyes that were dancing with light and fun, and looked very welcoming, while the other's gaze was sharp, calculating, and mirthless. Just then, the little dancer heard the beginning strains of the song he and the others had chosen, and quickly pulled his mind back to the task at hand. 

He was just in time to catch the tail of Ray's scarf as one fluttered by, holding it steady so that it wrapped around him as the darker-skinned boy twirled around him. Ray wore a green blue outfit with green scarves, and Gavin had the matching green outfit and blue scarves. As the green scarves wound around and around him, Gavin started to twirl himself in place, untwisting Ray's scarves as his own swirled around him. 

Suddenly, there was a crash of the music and the two whirled away from each other, dancing just like they had in Geoff's chambers. With the green and blue outfits and scarves, the style of the dance and the sound of the music very much invoked images of water and wind and waves. Gavin lost himself completely in the dance, ignoring everyone around them, only seeing Ray and the scarves and the way their bodies moved around each other in perfect sync, tying the scarves in elaborate knots and undoing them just as easily. 

It was almost a surprise when the music came to a halt, both boys were breathing heavily as they fell out of the trance. Their audience was clapping politely, but they were obviously impressed by the dance if the whispers and admiring glances were anything to go by. Geoff and Ryan came down to the floor to claim their dancers and lead them to their places, as was tradition, and when everyone was seated, the King stood. 

"I welcome all of you to this wonderful feast. We are gathered here to foster a peace treaty between the great kingdoms of Savara and Harfang. The southern desert kingdom and the northern kingdom of marshes. Their kings, though related by blood, now hope to unite their kingdoms in a strong bond of friendship, and that is why we are all here. So now I bid you all, eat, be merry! Enjoy the fruits of peace." Everyone in the hall clapped politely as the King waved a hand to the guards and the doors opened to admit a troupe of lesser dancers to provide entertainment and the servers to bring out trays of food. 

Soon enough, everyone was back to a loud and raucous noise level, wine being poured liberally throughout the night. The food was excellent, and there was no end to the serving platters that arrived on all the tables. Gavin caught several glimpses of Lindsay amongst the servers, carrying her platters of food for the lesser nobles. He was glad that she was serving one of the high tables, because it was impossible to ignore the inappropriate way that the men at the lower tables talked about, and openly groped, the young serving girls, but nothing was done to stop it. 

The little dancer just sat quietly in his seat, directly below Geoff and between Ray and Michael. The squire was continually getting up and down, making sure that the prince's cup and plate were always full, as he should be. As the time got later and later, Gavin got more and more tired. Most of the attendees had long since finished eating, but everyone was still gathered around, drinking and telling stories and enjoying the night. The fires at the end of the hall were kept roaring, and giants vats of warm cider were now kept in place of the warming food. Gavin noticed that Lindsay kept coming over with mugs full for him, and making sure there was always fruit sitting near him. He was grateful, but he just didn't think he could stay awake any longer. Already he was falling asleep from time to time, barely catching himself from slamming his head into the table or snoring loudly. 

"Aw, is little Gavvy ready for bed?" Gavin jolted awake to find Michael's face barely a inch from his own. 

"Oi, warn a guy next time. It's not so pleasant to open your eyes and see that ugly mug." Michael laughed, leaning back to his own chair. 

"Man, you really are tired. That's like the only time you're anything less than perfectly polite." The dancer flushed, averting his gaze to the table again. 

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be that way..." 

"Hey, it's not a problem. I'm glad you'll let go once in a while, it means there's still hope of convincing you. But anyway, the prince said it would be acceptable for you to head back to our rooms now. The banquet is beginning to wrap up now, so the rest of us will be along shortly. But we thought you would like to escape the rush of people in the halls." 

"Oh... well, thank you. I think- that probably sounds like a good idea." Gavin looked up at the high table, where Geoff was deep in discussion with the King and a group of nobles. "I guess I'll tell the Prince thanks later. Ummm..." Michael smiled softly. 

"You can go ahead to my room to wait for us, I don't mind at all." The foreign felt a large weight lift off his chest as he nodded to Michael and quietly slipped out of the room. His practice with keeping his shells quiet as he walked had led to an ability to move undetected through busy spaces. The halls were quiet, everyone was still back in the great hall, or so Gavin thought. Needless to say, he was very surprised to round a corner and find a dark figure lurking in the shadows. 

"W-who's there?" 

"You are a beautiful dancer, little one." The figure took a step towards one of the torches, throwing shadows across his face. But even then, Gavin recognized the King of Harfang, the man with the dark eyes. 

"Th- thank you, sire. Is there something I can help you with?" Gavin bowed lightly, as was appropriate of his status, but got no response from the other man. Instead, he felt them come closer, until there was a hand on his face, tipping it up again. Gavin tried to take a step back, but the man had a tight grip on him and refused to let go. 

"You have quite a pretty face... and I'm sure the rest of you would be just as nice." The boy jumped when he felt the other hand come to rest against his lower back, pulling him closer to the man. He struggled in earnest, just about to cry out for help when there was suddenly the noise of footsteps coming closer. Immediately the man was gone, seeming to disappear into the shadows he had come from. Caleb stepped around the corner, carrying a basket of clothing with him, and came to face-to-face with a very pale and shaken little dancer. 

"Gavin? Are you alright? You look like you're going to pass out in a moment." Gavin laughed shakily, brushing off the other boy's concern. 

"No, I'm- I'm okay. Must have just been something I ate with dinner made me not feel very well for a moment. I'm fine now though." Caleb didn't look entirely convinced, but let the matter drop. 

"Well, alright then. Were you headed back to the prince's quarters?" 

"Yeah, the banquet is just about finished, they let me leave a little early. What are you doing up here? I thought you had the night off." 

"I did, I just thought I'd come drop off some clean clothes before I head to bed." 

"Oh, well do you want me to take them the rest of the way?" 

"You don't have to do that..."  "It's okay, I really don't mind at all. Here, I'll take the basket, and then you won't have to walk the rest of the stairs between here and there." Caleb handed over the basket gratefully. 

"Thank, Gavin. I'll be there with a light breakfast at the normal time tomorrow, Geoff usually gets up late after a feast like this one, so I'll bring a heavier meal a little later in the morning." 

"Sounds good. Have a good night, Caleb." The boys parted ways, Gavin turning to carry the basket up to the rooms. He checked carefully around every corner, but did not have another run in with the foreign king. Finally he was slipping through the doorway to his chambers, delivering the clothing to the appropriate rooms before finally slipping out of his costume. 

Tucked in his wardrobe he kept the pile of old tunics that Michael had given him upon arrival, and these were what he wore to bed, along with loose pants. After changing, he banked up the fires in all the rooms, finishing with the one in the common area just as the rest of the inhabitants came back to the room. Geoff and Jack immediately shut themselves up in their rooms without even a word to anyone else, and Gavin turned to Michael for an explanation. 

"Don't worry about it, they'll be fine tomorrow. Geoff got some news just as the banquet ended and he and Jack are disagreeing about what to do about it. Unfortunately, only the two of them and Ryan know what the messenger said, so the rest of us just have to wait until they come to a decision. C'mon, let's just go to bed. It's late, and I'm exhausted." Michael trudged back to his room, changing into his own sleep clothes and collapsing onto the bed. 

Gavin climbed in next to him, and lay there considering whether or not he should tell Michael about the figure in the hallway that had accosted him. But he still hoped that it was just a one-time occurrence. And Michael looked so peaceful, already half asleep and curled up against the other boy in the bed. So the little dancer decided that if it happened again, he would tell someone, but for now he could just keep it to himself, and keep an eye out for more strange happenings.


	12. The Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little darker, to set the tone of what's to come... there will be some stuff that some people may find triggering, but I'm trying to keep it vague, at least for now. I'll try to warn in every chapter if it's going to get worse (although it is, eventually, just as a warning).

The next day, Gavin woke up early, before anyone else was usually awake. He snuck out of the bed, squirming out from under Michael's arm where it rested against his chest. When he came out into the common area, Caleb was already there, relighting the fire in the main room. There was a tray of food on the table, and Jack was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. 

"Good morning, Gavin. I'm not surprised to see you up so early. Caleb brought some food to hold us over until the others are awake. Ryan and Ray will probably be here soon as well, they're usually early risers." 

"Thank you, my lord." Gavin moved over and sat on his usual cushion in front of the fire, picking at some of the food that was on the table. 

"It's Jack, Gavin, not 'my lord'... that title isn't even one that's applicable to me. I don't have any titles." The little dancer looked up from the food in his hand. 

"That's... but- you're the prince's steward..." 

"Yeah, it's not commonly talked about in the palace. People like to forget that someone with no title, no ties to nobility has risen this high and been given such an important position." 

"But- they said you grew up with the prince, and the Lord Ryan." 

"It's true, we did all grow up together. Ryan was the son of a nobleman who lived at court, but my mother was the prince's nanny. She was the one who took care of him, raised him from when he was just a little baby, until he was old enough to take his place at court. Ryan was about a year younger than him, and I was only a few months younger than that. We were inseparable, mostly because we were the only children living in the palace at the time. There were some older, some younger, but no one else we could play with." 

"So... you've always lived here?" 

"Oh, yes... I was born and raised here, just like Geoff. Ryan was actually born out in the countryside, and did not arrive here until he was.... I think 4 years old." 

"What hap- um... if you don't mind me asking... what happened to your mother?"  "She... well, she passed away years ago, back when Geoff and I were both young, right around your age actually. The King wanted to send me down the kitchens, or elsewhere to serve, but Geoff convinced him to make me his personal manservant. After a few years, when Geoff took on more of his princely duties, he promoted me to his steward, and here we are now." 

"It's... what's it like being a steward?" 

"It's a good job, one that I like. But it takes a certain kind of person, especially to handle Geoff." Jack broke off to chuckle and shake his head. "He's a good prince, and he'll be a wonderful king. But no one is perfect. He's stubborn and hates going to all the meetings that are necessary, and despises to formality that the current king calls for in most situations. It's my job to make sure that he's always prepared for every event, dressed appropriately, ready for any speeches he has to give. I keep his schedule and organize the people in his household, the servants who serve directly under him." 

"Oh... so would that mean that you g- give me orders too?" The older man shrugged. 

"Technically it would. But Geoff and I both agree that we don't want to be that way. That's why Geoff came to talk to you about dancing, instead of me. The same is true for Michael, Geoff prefers to manage his squire on his own." There was a hint of fondness in Jack's eyes as he spoke to Gavin. "The prince does not believe that anyone is truly under him, so he doesn't like to delegate the order-giving to me. He likes interacting with the people around him, and he's good at it too." Gavin thought back to that day in the tavern, months ago. There had just been something about the prince that made him feel so safe, safe enough that he was willing to go with the man with very little fuss. 

"I can see that..." Just then, there was a crash from Michael's room, and the boy came stumbling out of his room. 

"Goddamn table... swear it wasn't there before... fuck..." He flung himself down on the cushions next to Gavin, groaning and burying his face half in the pillows, half in the little dancer's thigh. Gavin exchanged a look with Jack before reaching down and lightly tugging on one of Michael's curls. 

"Michael? You okay there?" 

"No." Michael squirmed around and pushed his face even further into the fabric around him. Jack started laughing. 

"Had a little too much drink last night?" 

"Ugghhhh... yes... always the problem with banquets... we pull out the good wine, and that stuff doesn't hit you till the third or fourth glass and by that point you're screwed. Now shhhh..." Gavin laughed softly as Michael moved his head so that it was firmly planted in his lap. As the dancer turned his attention back to the food in front of him, one of his hands unconsciously made it into the curly hair in his lap, stroking and petting and not noticing the way that Michael pushed into the touch. But Jack noticed, and there was a soft smile on his face as he watched the two young boys. 

The three of them sat around the room a while longer, Gavin occasionally feeding Michael a piece of breakfast as the other boy asked for it. Jack returned to reading his book, occasionally glancing up at the other two in the room. It was nice to see Gavin more relaxed and more open. He was still quiet and reluctant to break his boundaries, but in the moments like this, he looked completely content and happy. Michael had rolled over so that he was facing up, still in the dancer's lap, and the two were talking quietly about something or another. 

Some time passed before anyone else made an appearance, though it was still long before noon when Geoff came out of his room, clad in sleep pants and nothing else. He took a seat next to Jack, who put away his book at the appearance of the prince. Michael finally sat up, but didn't move far from his spot, turning to sit next to Gavin instead of in front of him. 

"Good morning, sire." 

"Good morning to you as well, Gavin, Michael, Jack." Geoff sighed as he slouched in his seat and grabbed at some of the food. 

"It is a good thing that there are no meetings scheduled for the morning after a banquet, is it not, Geoff?" 

"Indeed, Jack... I hardly think anyone would be in the right mind set to attend a meeting. What time do the formalities begin this afternoon?" 

"The King is having a private luncheon with yourself and the two foreign kings. He hopes to be able to open discussion about the terms of the treaty, and then move to a more public meeting after the lunch. As this is only the preliminary meeting, it will most likely just be formalities and some basic information. I highly doubt that any of the real work will start until tomorrow." 

"Well that's a relief. I think all I'll be good for today is looking pretty and exchanging small talk. My brain is mush after last night." Michael laughed from his spot on the floor. 

"Yeah, join the club. Always say I'm not going to drink so much, never remember why till the night after." Gavin giggled as Michael flopped back dramatically, sprawling across the cushions. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Ryan came in, followed by a very tired looking Ray. 

"My prince! I hope I find you well this morning." 

"Geez, Ryan, always so formal-sounding. I see your poor dancer is not so well this morning." Ray shot a dirty look at the prince from where he was making himself comfortable next to Michael, but Geoff was too busy watching Ryan. 

"Yes, well, sleep does not always come well, especially after such festivities the night before." Geoff stood and stretched, beckoning to Jack as well. 

"Hence the need for lazy mornings the day after. Now if you will please excuse me for a moment, I will go change into something a little more appropriate for the day." Michael moved to stand as well. "No, no, stay here, Michael. No need for you to change as well, seeing as you are not required to attend any meetings today. Besides, it seems as though Ray may have greater need of you as a pillow." It was indeed true, that Ray's head was occasionally nodding and slipping down to rest on Michael's shoulder, though he was making a valiant effort to stay awake. 

"I seem to have forgotten some important papers in my quarters, so, if Ray is settled here for the moment, I will go retrieve them and be back shortly." 

"Sure, Ryan, go ahead." With that, the room was emptied of the older men, and just the young boys were left sitting by the fire. Gavin was giggling as Ray kept slipping further and further, almost falling over a couple times. Michael finally groaned. 

"Here, Gavin, since you're dressed already, you take care of sleeping beauty here for a few minutes. I'm going to change into something else and then we can decide what we're going to do today." Michael gave Ray a little push, causing him to fall over into Gavin's lap. The dancer had been just about asleep already and so startled a little when he found himself laying down. 

"Wha? Where's-" 

"It's alright, Ray, Ryan just went to grab some stuff from your rooms, he'll be back soon. I'm gonna go change, so just stay here with Gav for a minute." Ray slumped back down, waving a hand dismissively at Michael. Once they were alone, Gavin turned his attention to the boy in his lap, dropping a hand down to run through his hair, much like he had been doing with Michael earlier that morning. 

"That nightmare again?" Ray's eyes shot open, fixing on the boy over him. 

"How did you- who-" Gavin shrugged. 

"You told me you weren't sleeping well, Ryan said something about bad dreams. I just guessed that you're probably having the same nightmare over and over..." Ray sighed, rolling over onto his side and staring at the wall. 

"It's- it's awful, Gavin... I don't want to- can't talk about it. But I just want it to go away... it's- I have these dreams sometimes... and they come true, in ways that I can't anticipate, and I'm terrified that this one is going to come true as well..." 

"Hey... we'll all be okay, Ray, you know it. You just need to relax and focus on yourself. You can't keep going without sleep like this, it's not good for you." 

"I know, it's just-" Just then, Michael's door opened again. "Please, don't say anything, I don't want anyone else to know yet." Gavin was surprised but acquiesced easily enough. 

"Don't worry, I'll keep it quiet. But we will find a way to help you." Ray shot a grateful glance his way before turning to face Michael. The older men all returned at the same time. 

"Michael! I have some messages I'd like for you to deliver before the noon meal today, some inquiries I need answered today, if you would be so kind to deliver them." 

"Of course, sire." Geoff handed over a small stack of notes, pointing out where each was to go. 

"I am going to go confer with my father for a time before this meeting. Jack and Ryan will be attending with me, which leaves you three to occupy yourselves for the afternoon. There will be a dinner this evening that you will all be expected to attend, in an official capacity, but it will not as grand of an event as last night." 

"Well then, shall we be off, lads? We'll stop by Ray's room, so he can change into something else, and then we can decide what to do while I deliver these notes." Gavin gave Ray a nudge, laughing as he rolled off his lap and flopped on the floor. Michael came over and gave the two of them a hand up, the gents busy talking over by Geoff's desk, going through the papers that Ryan had returned with. The three boys slipped out of the room, only making it a few halls over before Gavin realized something. 

"Oh, wait, could we visit the kitchens today? I have a scarf I want to give to Lindsay, since she said hers was ripped the other day. Though, I left it back in my room." 

"Well, why don't we go on so Ray can change, and you can meet us at his rooms?" 

"Sounds top, I'll catch up." Gavin turned and hurried down the hall, slipping into his room and grabbing the warm fabric. The gents had already left, and Gavin paused a moment to grab another piece of fruit on the way. He had hardly made it out of the room, when the torches in the hall began to flicker. One by one, they went out, until Gavin was standing in the tiny circle cast by one singular torch, which flickered weakly as if it would soon go out as well. 

"Ummm... hello? Is someone there?" The shadows around the circle of light grew thicker and blacker, and Gavin swore that he could see shapes and figures, barely human, writhing and flickering in the inky blackness. There were sounds too, whispers and hisses, some that sounded almost like words and others that sounded like anything but. Gavin pressed himself back against the wall as one shadow in particular seemed to detach itself from the rest and move into the light. 

"Hello, little dancer." It seemed as though a veil of darkness fell from the figure, revealing none other than the ruler of Harfang. 

"King Ettin... I- is there something I can help you with?" The dark man moved around the little dancer, his dark beady eyes standing out against his pale skin. 

"Oh litttle sea-child. There is much you could do for me." Gavin cried out when the shadows suddenly leapt for him, black hands and dark tentacles reaching for him, grabbing onto anything that could hold. Try as he might, there was no way for him to get out of their grip. 

"Wha- what are you doing? Let me go!" The king took a step closer, pressing himself up against the younger boy, a hand coming up to grasp his chin. 

"Such a pretty little one. What an alluring aura you have, such a beautiful color, so fresh and ever-changing, just like the sea..." Gavin jumped when a hand came up under his tunic, rubbing against his bare skin. 

"Pl- please, stop..." Ettin smiled, his hand moving around the back and slipping into the waistband of the dancer's pants. He leaned forward, so that his mouth was just by his ear. 

"Someday... someday, little sea-child, you will be mine. And oh the fun we will have then." The king kissed Gavin on the cheek, a kiss that was meant to be sweet and chaste but just left chills and a cold, clammy feeling behind. The shadows unwound themselves from his body and wrapped themselves around the King, and then just like that they were gone, blending back into the darkness. The torches relit themselves, bathing the hallway in light once again, but Gavin felt as if that light would never touch the darkness, the fear that was consuming him now. He collapsed against the wall, falling to the floor as he pulled his knees close and buried his face in them. 

"No... no, this can't be happening. They told me- the promised I'd be safe here. Should I tell them? I know they would keep me safe, but I can't... there's already too much going on... and that treaty- I can't do anything to jeopardize it. I'll just... have to not be alone anymore." Gavin sat there, talking to himself, convincing himself that he could handle this. He could feel the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes but refused to let them fall, knowing that if he did so, he would never be able to stop, and then someone would find out what was going on. So he carefully wrapped up the fear, the numbness left by those shadows, the coldness of that kiss, and he tucked them underneath the warmth and light of his friends in the castle. And then he stood up, carefully rearranging his clothing and wiping his face, creating a mask to hide his feelings before he moved on down the hallway, to meet with Michael and Ray. 

But he couldn't stop the shivers when every shadow he passed seemed to whisper to him. 

" _Soon_..."


	13. The King's Orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look everyone, another chapter! A little shorter, but this seemed like the best place to cut it.

"I am way too hungover to deal with this." Geoff leaned over to whisper to Jack, who was sitting just next to him at the meeting. From even before the lunch had begun, it was obvious that this was going to be a nearly impossible treaty to write. Neither king truly had any intention of working with each other. 

All Geoff had been hearing all afternoon was variations of "since my dear cousin will not agree to..." or "My kingdom will give you no such allowances!". As the table dissolved once more into childish arguing, Geoff sighed and leaned his head on his arm, taking the moment to study the foreign leaders. 

The king of Savara, Mansa, was a large man, tall and thin. His skin was dark, far darker than Geoff had ever seen before, almost black in appearance. His eyes were large and dark as well, but there was a light in them that spoke of a man who had a great deal of fun and happiness in his life. He wore outfits of loose flowing cloth, in shades of oranges and yellows, with intricate designs sewn onto them. His hair, only a shade darker than his skin, was shorn close to his head. 

Ettin, the king of Harfang, was the polar opposite of his cousin. Pale skin, eerily translucent, and hair that was a pale sickly blonde, limp and stringy. He had a small, stooped posture, and was always slinking about the edges of rooms. He wore garments of pure black that covered him from neck to foot. Even his hands were covered in gloves of black as well. Sometimes the prince swore that he could see little shadows dancing and twirling around his figure, but they were never there when he looked directly at him, and so Geoff passed it off as a trick of the light. 

The two kings could not be more different, and it seemed as if their interests could not be more different as well. They could not agree on a single thing, and as each king's personal guard began to draw swords against each other, Geoff stood with a quiet sigh. 

"My lords, may I suggest we take a break in these meetings? It is nearing time for the evening meal, and I am sure you would enjoy some time to relax in your quarters before that time." Everyone around the room acquiesced graciously, and slowly the crowd in the room dispersed. Geoff waited until everyone had left before sinking back to his seat, groaning quietly. The King sat at the head of table, wrapped in so many furs that it was difficult to see anything other than his eyes, ones that looked remarkably like those of the prince. 

"That was skillfully handled, my son." 

"Thank you, father." Geoff waited until his father had finished coughing into the ever-present handkerchief before continuing to speak. "I think the meeting was just a little too long, and tempers were rising too high. Hopefully we will meet with more success tomorrow. Will you be attending dinner tonight?" 

"I do not think so. This afternoon has been quite enough activity for myself, I shall be retiring shortly. But before that, I have something else to discuss with you." 

"Yes, father?" 

"I've heard some disturbing rumors from the northern kingdoms, about mysterious raiders and attacks in the middle of the night. I also heard that you sent the mage to investigate, did you not?" Geoff clenched his hands under the table, knowing that this conversation was about to go somewhere he did not want it to go. 

"Indeed, sir, I did. I had wanted to gather more... concrete information before I brought the matter to your attention." 

"An acceptable way to handle the situation. But now that I have knowledge of the occurrences, I would like to know what you have learned up till now." 

"Unfortunately, Lord Ryan was able to uncover very little about the attackers true identities. He was able to determine that they were a band of hired mercenaries, dressed in armor stolen from various kingdoms in order to make it seem as if Kalatos, Joryen, and Alandria were attacking each other. He traced them across the border of the Northern Marshes, but was unable to follow any further and so returned to relay his findings. I had intended to send him, and a team, out again after these meetings were included, so as to not put undue stress on the relations being fostered here." 

"I want him to go now." 

"Sire? I do not think that is such a good-" 

"No arguing, my son, I want him to go now. This situation is too important to let sit." Geoff fumed inwardly, but knew that he could not argue against the King. 

"Very well, sire." The prince stood to leave, bowing to the King and moving towards the door. 

"Oh, and Geoffrey? I want him to go alone. As you said, no need to put undue stress on the treaty, and he can go unnoticed." Geoff paused with his hand on the handle, squeezing tightly as he fought to control the emotions inside him. 

"Yes, sire." He flung the door open, striding out of the room. Jack and Ryan, leaning against the wall opposite the door, scrambled to catch up when the prince stormed down the hall. 

"Geoff? Is something wrong?" They finally caught up to him, walking on either side, concerned by the dark look on his face. 

"Someone told my father." 

"Told the king? About what?" 

"About Ryan's trip to the Northern Marshes, that's what. And now he wants to send one man back there, to gather more information. It's exactly what I was afraid of happening, and I just can't..." 

"It's me that he's sending, isn't it?" Geoff stopped walking, Jack and Ryan stopping just a step ahead and turning back. 

"Yeah... fuck this... I'm sorry, Ryan, I wish I could do something but... the King..." 

"Don't worry, Geoff, I understand. It will not be easy, but I do as my king commands." 

"Ryan..." The mage shrugged, moving forward to place a hand on Geoff's shoulder. 

"He is right, in a way. We need more information about these events. The attacks are still happening, almost every other day now some village is being attacked and nearly wiped out. We need to do something, we cannot let our allies be harried so. I will set out tomorrow, to see if I can uncover any more information." Geoff sighed and put his hand on Ryan, mirroring the mage's position. 

"Thank you... I'm sorry, I don't want to send you out there, not without backup and all that... I wanted to send a whole group so hopefully you'd be safer, but..." Geoff suddenly whirled away and punched the wall, growling and swearing under his breath. 

"Geoff..." The man in question simply strode off down the hallway, glaring darkly at anyone who came too close. By the time Jack and Ryan caught up, he was already back at his rooms, sitting slouched in a chair by the fire. He had his eyes closed and a half finished glass of liquor in his hand, causing Jack to sigh quietly before gathering a cloth and some bandages. 

"Geoff, let me look at your hand." The prince stayed slouched over, but moved his hand over so Jack could get to it. Ryan sat across from them, all three sitting quietly as Jack cleaned the abrasions left by the stone wall and loosely wrapped a bandage across the bruised knuckles. Only when he was finished did Geoff make another move, downing the rest of his drink and sitting upright again. 

"I'm sorry for that display of temper. It was unbecoming of a prince such as myself." 

"Geoff, you know neither Ryan nor I would ever blame you for that." The prince chuckled ruefully. 

"I know, and if there is anyone who is well-acquainted with my temper, it would be you two. But still... I don't like the idea of sending you alone, Ryan. I think there is something else going on there, something far more sinister than what we've uncovered yet, and I don't want... well, I want to make sure that you'll be coming back to us." Ryan sat forward, sighing quietly and slouching a bit. 

"There is something else I need to share with you before that. I had meant to tell you a few days ago, but there was never an opportunity. Ray has been having a constant nightmare for almost a week again, of all of us being swallowed by shadows. I think it may be another prophetic dream, especially because it is always the same and nothing can keep it away. The magic is trying to tell him, and myself, something... I just don't know what yet." Geoff ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it frustration. 

"That just makes me even more nervous about sending you there alone, Ryan. If it is a prophetic dream, it can't possibly mean anything good." 

"No... but it is a warning, so we can prepare better this time. I will- I'll set up a communications system this time. It may take some of magic, but I think it will be better to be able to communicate easily if need be. We'll have agreed upon check-in times, things like that... anything to make this a little bit safer for all of us. After all, I am not the only one who was in Ray's dreams. We are all at risk." Jack pull a stack of paper nearer to him, already busy writing out notes in preparation for sending Ryan away the next day. 

"Alright, so we'll have your horse ready to early in the morning, so you can hopefully leave without attracting any attention-" 

"W-wait... you're- you're leaving?" The three gents swung around to face the door, which had opened without them noticing. Ray stood just inside the door, pale and staring at Ryan. Gavin and Michael were behind him, carrying plates of food and looking worriedly from the three men to the boy standing with them. Ryan swore quietly under his breath, standing up and moving forward. 

" _Atiyah_..." Whether it was the word or the movement, something broke the trance Ray seemed to be in, and he rushed forward to grab desperately at Ryan. 

"No... no, you can't leave, _sifh_! It wasn't that long- you- where are you going? Geoff, why are you sending him away? Please, please don't!" Geoff sighed, hanging his head again, and Ryan carefully wrapped his arms around the boy, leading him back to one of the chairs. Jack motioned Michael and Gavin over, and they set the plates of food down, sitting on the cushions on the floor. 

" _Atiyah_ , Ray, calm down. The prince isn't sending me anywhere, this is out of his hands. The King himself ordered that I leave as soon as possible, alone, to continue the work I was doing in the Northern Marshes." Ryan sat down, pulling Ray to sit half on the chair, half in his lap. 

"Ryan... you can't go! My dream- it's not safe- and alone..." Geoff spoke from where he was leaned over on the sofa, Gavin peering up worriedly at him from the floor. 

"I'm sorry, Ray, I wish I could do something to keep him here. We know it's not safe, and with that dream... but, I promise, we're going to do everything we can to make sure that he's safe." Geoff looked up, smiling thinly at Ray. "After all, he's pretty important to the castle. What would we do without our mage?" 

Gavin was the only one who heard the quietly exhaled 'and what would I do without my friend' that followed the comment. The little dancer slid closer quietly, sitting with his back to the chair, between Geoff's legs, reaching out to grasp one of Geoff's hands and pull it around his shoulders. He felt the prince's other hand slip into his hair, drawing comfort from the proximity of another person. Geoff stayed there a moment longer before sitting upright again, keeping a hand resting in Gavin's hair. 

"We need to plan this out now, before dinner. Jack, have the servants bring Ryan's bags so he can pack tonight, and tell the stableboy to have the horse ready early..." The rest of the time before dinner was spent planning out the trip. Ryan was going to set up a communication system for them, and he would check in every night. If he skipped two nights in a row, Geoff would send a team to his last known location. It was safe as they could be when sending a lone man into enemy territory. 

Geoff also had Jack prepare letters for Burnie, Matt, and Gus, since Ryan would be much closer to their kingdoms than to his. The letters were sent with the most trusted messengers, and were only to be handed to the kings themselves. Geoff would take no chances that a spy could get the letters, not when the life of his dear friend was at stake. 

The group was almost loathe to split to prepare for dinner, but Ray was suddenly inordinately glad that he was able to go at all. Though events like these usually bored him, he didn't want to be away from Ryan for a moment. Not when the man was leaving in a matter of hours. 

" _Atiyah_ , you do actually need to get changed." Ray jumped from where he had been standing by his bed, staring blankly at the wardrobe full of clothes that he was meant to be dressing in. Ryan was leaning in his doorway, chuckling at the deer-in-the-headlights look he was getting. 

"Oh... I'm sorry- I'll just- um..." Ryan moved closer, pulling some clothes from their hooks. 

"Here, just... c'mon, put these on, okay? Anything is fine, but we do need to get going in a few minutes, so we aren't late." Ray stripped out of his close, easily comfortable around Ryan. The man had seen him in far worse condition anyway, had washed and dressed his naked and battered body in those first dark days when they had met. But now... Ray slipped into the loose pants, drawing the heavy tunic over his head. Ryan handed him a fur-lined vest. 

"It's getting colder, better put this on as well. And your fur-lined shoes as well. Last thing I want is to leave you behind sick." Ray immediately froze upon hearing the word 'leave' and Ryan sighed, pulling them both down to sit on the bed. "Alright now, c'mon... it's just you and I, so talk." 

"We- um- we really need to be going..." 

"No, Ray, I think this is worth being a little late for dinner. Besides, we have time." Ray fiddled with the edges of his vest, which were wearing lightly with age. 

"It's just... you know- the normal stuff. I don't want you to go, I'm afraid of being left behind, I'm scared because of those dreams... just the same stuff I always whine about." Ryan reached out and gently cupped Ray's cheek, drawing his face up so they looked eye-to-eye. 

"I was going to give this to you in the morning, but I think it's better now." He reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a little crystal on a chain. It was carved into the shape of a rose, and it seemed to glow from within. 

"What- what is it?" 

"I started working on this months ago, and I didn't want to give it to you until it was ready, but I think it should work now. It's sort of a link, to me. Do you see the glow?" 

"Yeah..." 

"Well, the steady glow is a good thing... means there's nothing wrong. It's- um- it should start to pulse rapidly if I'm in trouble. And it'll get a little warmer depending on how close I am. Nothing that should bother you, or really be noticeable, but... it'll still be there if you concentrate." 

"How- how did you make it work?" 

"It just... it plays off of the connection we already have, with the magic that links us. This is a way to have a more... physical representation, since it's very difficult to access that bond without a great deal of work and magic. It won't tell you everything, but I thought... maybe it would be better than nothing..." Ray wrapped his arms around Ryan's neck, hugging him tightly. 

"It's wonderful, thank you. You didn't have to- and it's just- it'll help." Ray pulled back slightly, rubbing a hand across Ryan's chest. "What is this lump here?" Ryan blushed lightly, tugging at a chain around his neck. Another crystal was hanging on it, similar to the one Ray held, but this one carved into a little star and swirl. 

"I- um- I may have made another one of the necklaces, for myself... that way I would know about you as well..." Ray smiled softly, gently touching the crystal. 

"Thank you, _sifh_. This gift means so much to me." Ryan exhaled, relieved that his intentions had been well received. 

"I am glad. But now we really must hurry, or we will be too late for dinner to easily explain it away."


	14. Interlude: The Prince and his Dancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really isn't much a chapter, but more of gratuitous fluff of the Geoff/Gavin nature. Mostly cause I haven't given Geoff enough love in this story and now I'm trying to fix that.

Gavin sat on the bed in the prince's room, watching the man stormily bang about the space. It had taken a matter of moments for the little dancer to be dressed for dinner, and he had quietly slipped through the doorway when he heard one too many things clatter to the floor. Geoff had a pair of black pants on, but no shirt yet, as he stomped about and threw his clothes all about. 

"Of course the fucking shirt has a hole in it, just figures... and where is my other red shirt? The one time I need it, and it's nowhere to be found." Gavin spied the shirt in question draped over the end of the prince's bed and carefully gathered it up. 

"Geoff..." Gavin's quiet words were buried under Geoff's continued muttering and banging of the furniture. Gavin stood, moving closer to the prince, who was standing in front of the fireplace, hands clenched in his hair. 

"Geoff..." The little dancer moved forward and very carefully placed a hand on Geoff's bare back, feeling the tense muscles under the skin. "Your shirt is here, I have it." The prince held out a hand, and Gavin placed the shirt on it, retreating back to the bed. Geoff sighed, slipping the shirt on, but not doing up the ties, leaving it open in the front. 

"Are you dressed, Gavin, and ready to go?" 

"Yes, sire." 

"Good." Geoff came over and sat on the bed next to the little dancer. There was tension written into every line of his body. Gavin could see that all his muscles were taught, the skin on his forehead was drawn, and his eyes were clenched shut. He was leaned over, elbows on knees, hands clenched into his hair again. Gavin scooted closer, coming to sit just behind Geoff, legs spread to either side, but no one part of their bodies was touching. Except for the hand that Gavin carefully stretched out to rest on the prince's back again. 

"Sire... Geoff... are you- are you okay?" 

"No... no, Gavin, I'm not. I just- there's so much going on all the sudden. This treaty is not working out as easily as we thought it would, my father's health is only getting worse, and now I have to send one of my closest friends on something that essentially amounts to a suicide mission! What else... what else can possibly go wrong?" Gavin could hear the shakiness that was sneaking into the words, the trembling of the muscles in the broad back under his palm. 

His next actions were ones that surprised even himself, something he hadn't even thought about before doing. His hands slipped around Geoff, wrapping around the broad chest, puling the prince back at the same time as he slipped backwards on the bed to rest against the far wall. They ended up with Gavin leaning against the wall, and Geoff's back pressed against his front. 

"G- Gavin? What are you doing?" The little dancer flushed and pressed his reddened, blushing face against the prince's back. 

"N- nothing, just, um... it seemed like a good idea." Geoff chuckled and all the tension melted out of his body as he rested more comfortably against the boy behind him. 

"Well, thank you. It was a good idea." 

"I know that we need to, um- get ready to go, but... maybe after dinner, we could- you know- talk. B-but, only if you want to, of course." 

"Yeah sure, well... maybe. We'll see what kind of time we have after dinner." Geoff groaned and pushed himself up, turning and offering a hand to the boy on the bed. "C'mon, we gotta get moving. Go make sure Michael is ready, and send Jack in here for a moment." 

Gavin slipped out of the room, his dark green scarves fluttering behind him. Jack was leaning against the wall next to the door, dressed in the dark orange and red robes that were customary for his position. 

"Jack, the prince would like your help for a moment." The steward nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving the dancer alone in the common room. Well, he was not entirely alone. Michael also sat in the room, on the edge of a sofa with his back to Gavin, dressed in one of his favorite outfits: loose yellow pants and a blue shirt. A brown fur vest was draped over the back of the sofa, and Gavin scooped it up, coming to kneel in front of Michael. The squire had his eyes closed, elbows on knees as he curled into himself. 

"Michael..." 

"Don't, Gavin, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with me, I'll be fine. Just worried about Ray and Ryan and Geoff, that's all." Michael stood grabbing his vest and moving to stand by the door. Gavin was going to follow him, to try to pull more information out of the quiet boy, but just then Geoff and Jack came out of the other room, and soon enough they were all headed down to dinner. 

Gavin had not really thought about the fact that going to an official dinner with the prince meant that King Ettin would be there as well. And the fact that he was worried about Michael only made things that much worse, because even though he was sitting next to the squire, he didn't feel _safe_ next to him, which hadn't happened since he had come to live in the castle. Even though Gavin still knew that Michael, Geoff, Ray, none of them would let Ettin lay a hand on him in their presence. 

But that didn't mean that they noticed the looks that the foreign king sent his way. The dark glances, filled with longing and promises of things that Gavin never wanted to go through again. And there were times when Gavin swore that the shadows on the edges of the room were making faces and mocking him, or that the ones under his chair would curl up and caress his ankles until he kicked out and dislodged them. 

No one noticed, Gavin didn't let anyone notice, and Ettin was too careful to allow his shadows to be seen. And so the little dancer suffered through the dinner, terrified by the strange king across from him and the shadows that were swirling at his back. He shivered as a shadow made a close pass across his thighs, and this time he saw both Michael and Ray give him looks from either side of him. Michael pulled off his fur vest and tucked it around his shoulders, probably thinking that he had shivered because his thin orange dancer's outfit was not keeping out the chill from the damp stone walls. 

Even if it wasn't the cold, Gavin couldn't deny that the vest draped over his shoulders made him feel better. Because it smelled and felt like Michael, which translated to safety in Gavin's world. And even if Michael was acting weird, he'd always look out for Gavin. 

It wasn't long after when the conversation finally died down, and Geoff dismissed his squire and dancer. The two of them walked back to their rooms in silence, Michael still preoccupied with his thoughts and Gavin staring distrustfully at all the shadows. They had only just changed into more comfortable sleep clothes when Geoff returned with Jack. The steward quickly disappeared, but Geoff lingered long enough to get Gavin's attention. 

"Gavin, come into my room for a moment, won't you?" The little dancer stood and followed him, sensing that Geoff was not prepared for questioning quite yet. 

"Of course, sire." Gavin climbed onto the bed, watching as the prince picked up the clothing he had distributed across the room in his earlier search for the elusive red shirt. The fire had burned down low, leaving the space only dimly illuminated with flickering light. 

"My little dancer..." The prince sat down heavily on the bed, holding something that looked like a dancer's scarf in his hands. "Did you know... did you know that there was once someone else that I had considered asking to be my dancer? She was... she was a girl who grew up here in the palace, her name was Sara, and she was a year older than I was." Gavin remained quiet, watching the emotions that swam in Geoff's eyes as he spoke in halting sentences. 

"We were close. Never in any romantic way, we were just good friends, but... I looked up to her, and I cared for her so much. But her dream had always been to be one of the Speakers, the dancers who carried secret messages in their movements. It was such a dangerous path, the dancers are often in danger because of the nature of the messages they are asked to carry. But she was determined, and she completed her training... and then, the very first mission my father had me plan myself, I sent her to carry a message to our allies." 

Geoff went completely silent, twisting the scarf in his hands. Gavin leaned forward, twining his hands into the prince's and loosening their death grip on the fabric. He slipped to the floor to kneel between Geoff's legs, looking up and reaching a hand up to brush away the tears that were making their way down the prince's face. 

"It's okay, Geoff, you don't have to tell anymore if it's too hard for you." 

"No, no... I need to tell you this, I need to make a point." Geoff took several deep breaths, giving the little dancer a watery smile through the tears before reaching down and pulling him up, sliding back on the bed so that Gavin was cradled in his lap. 

"Don't sit like that, Gavin, it's not your place to be lower than any of us..." Geoff squeezed him tightly before continuing to speak. "Anyway... I sent her to carry the message. And- and she never came- she never came back. They found her body days later, and the things they had done- the way they had tortured her. All because they sent her to carry that message. And the worst part was, no one even cared. Because she had been an 'acceptable loss' and... I didn't know how to move past that. Every one told me I had made the right call, because I still successfully completed the mission, but... it didn't feel that way to me. Because I lost one of my closest friends." 

"Geoff..." 

"No, it's... I've gotten through it now, with Ryan and Jack's help. But now... for the first time since then, I have to do it again... I have to send someone who's incredibly close to me into a situation where it's very likely that they will not return and... I don't know how to handle that." Gavin could feel the shudders that wracked the body behind him. He flipped around, pushing at Geoff until he got him to lay down on the bed and relax. Gavin sat up against the headboard, the prince's head pressed against his leg while the dancer played with his hair. 

"You'll do it because you have to do it, Geoff, because you're the prince and that's what you do. But we all know that you're going to do everything in your power, everything in everyone's power, to make sure that every man you send out comes back home. It won't always happen, but it's not your fault. And the fact that it's so hard for you, the fact that it was so hard for you- to deal with losing Sara- that's the right way for it to be. People aren't expendable, now matter how far below you they are, and you already learned that lesson. It means that you're going to be an amazing king, because you value every life." 

After that, Geoff and Gavin fell into a comfortable silence, the prince keeping his eyes closed. His breathing slowly evened out and he rolled onto his side, throwing an arm across the little dancer's legs. The prince was exhausted by the emotional turmoil, and Gavin was exhausted from all of the tension coming from all sides that night. It wasn't long until they both fell asleep, Gavin still propped up against the headboard while Geoff slept pressed against him. 

At some point early in the morning, Geoff woke up again and sleepily rearranged the two of them so that they were both lying down, under the covers. He threw an arm over his little dancer, pulling the boy in close to his body, and then was fast asleep again.


	15. A Relaxing Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I really like to hurt all of my characters. Good thing I like to write the fluff to make it better as well.

Gavin spent the next two days hiding out in the kitchens with Lindsay, helping the staff move their equipment from the outdoor summer kitchen to the indoor winter kitchen. The weather was turning increasingly damp and chilly, with rain almost every day, and the windows were frosted over on more than one morning. The entire castle was preparing for winter, digging out fur-lined clothes and putting heavy blankets on the beds. The fires rarely burnt out anymore, the heat necessary to get a good night's sleep. 

Michael sometimes joined them down there, but had to sit through meetings with the prince in the mornings, and then often disappeared. He was still quiet, and avoided speaking to anyone if he could help it. Ray had stayed glued to Ryan's side the entire time, unwilling to let the mage out of his sight for a moment. The older man was making his preparations to leave on his so-called suicide mission, though he kept his activities secretive so that no one else in the palace was alerted except those he trusted implicitly. 

It was very, very early in the morning on the third day when movements in Michael's bedroom woke the little dancer from where he was tucked under the squire's arm. He began to sit up sleepily, waking Michael in the process, but then Ryan was there tucking a third body into the bed with them. The prince was there as well, pressing both of the half-awake boys back into the mattress and tucking the blankets around them again, coaxing them back to sleep. The next Gavin knew, he was being abruptly woken when Ray twisted out from under his arm and called out for his master. 

"Why am I here? Why... where did Ryan go? Why isn't he here... _sifh_?" Gavin rolled over and nudged Michael, waking him up so that they could both clamber to either side of Ray. 

"Ray... Ray, calm down, just... just calm down for a moment." The dancer stared at Michael with wide eyes for a moment longer before he slumped down, all energy suddenly gone from his slender frame. 

"He left, didn't he? He said, last night... he was saying goodbye, and I didn't want to hear it. And now- now he's gone, off on his mission." Gavin reached his arms out, catching Ray just as the boy collapsed, silent tears streaming down his face. 

"Don't, don't cry, he'll be home soon. You have your necklace, right? He's going to come back, and you have the proof of it hanging right there. It's Ryan, we all know he's going to make it, and he's going to come back with all the information we could ever need, and that will be the end of all of this." 

All three of the young men knew that there was only so much truth in Gavin's words, that there was a distinct possibility that Ryan would not come back, that he might have to go out again because there wouldn't be enough information, that there might be another mission like this one some day in the future. But it was the thought that counted, and it was enough. Ray took a shuddering breath, reaching a hand up to brush away the tears from his cheeks. 

"Yeah... I know... just have to keep believing." Ray laughed tiredly. "God, we sound so cliche, like a bunch of girls." Michael joined in the laughter before stretching and climbing out of the bed. 

"Well then, ladies. I have to go to another lovely meeting with the prince this morning, but you two have your schedules free for the day." Michael took a significant look at Ray, who still looked emotionally exhausted from the morning's discovery, and Gavin, who had several nightmares over the last few nights and showed it. "You both should just stay here. I don't care if you sleep any more or not, but I want you both to stay in bed for at least another hour, and then just take it easy for the day. I'll be back here around noon, and I expect to see that neither of you have done anything but relax, got it?" 

"Oh, but Michael..." 

"No 'but Micool' from you today, Gavin. Just... listen to me this once, okay?" Gavin could hear the seriousness, even under the teasing about his accent. 

"Yeah... okay, we'll just stay here and wait for you to get back then." The two dancers sat back, legs under the blankets and backs propped up against the headboard while Michael dressed in his official squire outfit and stoked the fire so that the room would remain warm. He paused in the doorway on his way out, throwing a mock-threatening look over his shoulder. 

"Remember. Relaxation only, girls." The two boys in the bed laughed, blowing kisses at Michael as they waved him out the door. 

"Bye bye, dear, have a nice day at work." 

"Don't forget to bring us home something nice." 

"We'll just sit here like good girls and wait for you to come back." Michael gave them the finger as he walked out the door, but the slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth was not missed. Gavin and Ray collapsed against each other as the door shut, giggling madly. 

"Poor Michael, stuck in those boring meetings all day." Ray slipped down the bed, laying sideways and dangling his head over the side of the bed while he draped his legs across Gavin's lap. 

"Yeah, especially when we're stuck here, not even allowed to get out of his bed." The two boys sat in silence for a time, lulled by the flickering light and the crackling of the fire. Ray had nearly fallen asleep again, even with his head still dangling upside-down, when Gavin spoke again. 

"Hey, Ray? I think- I think something is wrong with Michael... but I don't know how to ask him, and I don't even know if I'm right." Ray dragged himself back up, flipping around so that his head was in Gavin's lap instead of his feet. 

"Why do you say that? I mean, I'm not disagreeing, but I'm pretty sure I haven't noticed anything except Ryan for the last few days, so I haven't seen whatever it is you're talking about." Gavin reached a hand down, poking Ray's forehead and then the ticklish spot on his side. 

"Don't start getting sad again." Ray laughed, smacking his hand away. "Anyway, I've just noticed that Michael's been strangely quiet lately, and has been disappearing a lot, and... well, whenever he is around, he just stares off into space a lot and doesn't really see or hear what's going on around him." 

"Hmmm... well, Michael is a stubborn bastard. He won't easily tell, even if you do manage to ask him. It's probably best to just let it be for a couple days. I'll watch too, and see if I can figure it out, though you probably know him as well as I do at this point." Gavin sighed and flopped over sideways, sprawling out across the pillows. 

"I guess you're right." 

"I'm always right, when are you gonna learn that?" 

"Oh, you're always right are you? What about that one time..." Ray grabbed a pillow and shoved it over Gavin's face. 

"Nope, nope, we agreed never to mention that again." Gavin laughed, pushing up against Ray and squirming out from under the pillow, grabbing another one at the same time to counter-attack. 

"I don't remember ever agreeing to that, but I'm sure I could think of plenty of other times. Like the one with the red scarves and that baby pig at the harvest festival, or when you thought it'd be a good idea to sneak that dye into Michael's bath, except you got Geoff instead?" Ray was red in the face, blindly lashing out with the pillow, though he was laughing as well. 

"Don't think I don't have any dirt on you. Or have you forgotten the time you thought it'd be fun to dance on the tables? Or when you fell into the flour bins in the kitchens?" Gavin lunged at the other dancer, knocking both of them over in a pile of pillows and blankets. They lay there side-by-side, laughing in the dim room. The room was quiet and warm, and the bed was comfortable, and eventually the two young men fell back in a light doze. 

It was some time later when Ray was awakened by the movement of the bed. He opened his eyes and blinked blearily, seeing Michael now sitting on the blankets near them against the headboard. 

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." 

"Yeah, thanks a lot for that, asshole." Michael leaned over and flicked him on the forehead, and Ray batted his hand away. "Nah, but seriously, it's fine. I feel pretty good now anyway, so it's as good a time as any to get up." Ray went to wiggle his way up and then noticed the weight draped across his abdomen. Looking down, he saw a blonde head pillowed on his stomach, an arm draped casually over his legs while the other was fisted in his shirt. 

"Looks like Gavin found a pretty comfy place to sleep. He's such a leech when he sleeps, always clinging to anything around him." 

"Yeah, well... I don't blame him." Ray took a moment to watch Michael thoughtfully. 

"You know, he's been pretty worried about you lately. I haven't been around, so I haven't seen what he's talking about, but he says you've been quiet, disappearing for hours. So... are you okay?" Michael sighed, looking down and fidgeting with the blanket next to him. They both noticed Gavin beginning to stir, but did not address him yet. 

"I'm fine... I told him I was, and I promise it's true, even if I'm not doing a very good job of showing that I am. Just worried is all. This whole thing with the treaty is not going well, and it's got Geoff all stressed out, and by extension I got stressed out." Gavin rolled over, putting his head in Michael's lap now. 

"You just need to relax a while, Michael." The dancer suddenly sat up right, twisting around to grab Michael's shoulders. "I know! We should go down to the kitchen and get Lindsay to pack us a lunch, and then we can have a picnic in the gardens. It should still be warm enough for us to go sit out in the sheltered garden." Ray jumped up, bouncing on the bed. 

"That sounds like an awesome idea. You should bring your lyre along, Michael. We can just spend the afternoon out there, since you're making us relax and we're making you relax." Michael laughed. 

"Alright, alright, I know you two idiots won't let me say no. How about you two go get changed, since you'll have to go up to Ryan's room to get clothes for Ray, and in the meantime, I will go down to the kitchen and get us some food. Sound good?" After receiving nods of affirmation from the others, Michael rolled off the bed, grabbing his lyre case from the corner of the room. 

"Oh, oh, you should get us some of those yummy little strawberry cakes. The ones with the whipped cream? Those are wonderful." 

"Oh, and chocolate! Michael, you should get lots of chocolate." 

"Maybe some of those fun little candies too, the sugary, syrup ones that Lindsay makes? They look so pretty." 

"Alright, alright, alright." Michael laughed as he backed out of the room. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to get lots of treats along with the sandwiches and actual meal food that we need. Just go get changed, I'll meet you guys there." Michael left the room, hearing Gavin and Ray still chattering loudly behind him as they scrambled off the bed. 

The halls of the castle were quiet by comparison, at least until the squire got closer to the lower sections, where the kitchens and the servants quarters were. There were people everywhere, bustling about and chattering loudly as they fulfilled all the tasks they had assigned for the day. Michael made his way through, carefully not to knock over the baskets of clean laundry or the trays of food that were being carried around the halls. 

The indoor kitchens were overly hot, the six large cooking fires heating up the entire room in spite of the enormous size of the space. Michael stayed out of the way, wandering the room as he looked for a familiar flash of red hair. He had nearly given up looking when he found Lindsay, sitting at a table towards the back of the room, with baskets of vegetables all around her that she was slowly peeling. 

"Lindsay!" She perked up at his call, head turning in his direction, which was when Michael noticed the dull yellow bruise across her cheek bone. 

"Hi, Michael! What did you come here for?" 

"Where did that bruise come from?" 

"Michael..." The squire stepped forward, reaching to grab Lindsay's arm so he could examine her cheek closer, but heard a small sound of pain as his hand closed around her wrist. He threw her a look before grasping her arm more gently and pushing the sleeve up lightly so that he could see the ring of bruises that closely resembled a handprint. 

"Lindsay... who did these to you?" She pulled back, sighing as she readjusted her sleeves to cover the marks again. 

"It was nothing, just... overly handsy people at the banquet the other night. Some of the foreign men were harassing some of us, but it's fine. Nothing more than a few bruises and some unwanted advances." Michael stared into her eyes for a moment, making her squirm a bit. "It didn't get any further than a few forced kisses, it's just- it's nothing. Please, just let it go, Michael, you don't need to be stirring up trouble now that you're the prince's squire." 

"I know, I can't go around beating people up like I did when we were kids." Michael sighed, wrapping his arms around the red-haired girl and pulling her in tight. "Doesn't mean I'm happy about it though." 

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly happy about it either, but I haven't left the kitchens since then, so they haven't had another chance to do anything, and I plan to keep it that way." 

"Well, I came to ask you if you'd pack a lunch for Gavin and Ray and I to take up to the gardens, but now I think I'm going to change my request a bit. So let's go pack up a basket of all the best goodies, and then you're taking the rest of the day off and coming with me." 

"Michael, I can't, I- there's all this work to do, and-" The squire looked around, waving down one of the cooks who was in charge of the kitchen. 

"Adam, is it alright if I steal Lindsay for the rest of the afternoon? I need her help with some work upstairs." 

"Sure, sure, she's been here for days anyway." The burly man walked away, already yelling for another servant to come take her place, and Lindsay stood up slowly, taking off her apron and leaving it draped over a basket. 

"Alright, alright. Let me just- go fill a basket, and then we can get going." Michael nodded, going to wait by the door. Normally he would help prepare the food, hanging over Lindsay's shoulder and annoying her as he kept getting in the way. But he could tell that under all the bravado and the nonchalance, the servant girl had been shaken up by the strange men who accosted her, and Michael didn't want to do anything to bother her. Dragging her out of the kitchen seemed to make her nervous enough, but he knew that spending a few hours with himself and the two dancers would help her relax. 

"Oh, don't forget plenty of sugary sweets! Gavin requested lots of chocolate, and Ray wants those strawberry cakes and your syrup candies." Lindsay laughed lightly. 

"I'll remember that, and plenty of healthy food as well." Soon enough they were on the way, Michael stealing the heavy basket despite her protests that she was the servant and meant to carry those things. Every time they passed one of the foreigners in the halls, Lindsay skittered closer to him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, glaring at anyone who came too close. The halls got quiet again as they got higher up, considering most of the nobles were in council meetings, or involved in the treaty meetings. 

"Hey, Michael?" The squire paused when he noticed that Lindsay had stopped walking and stood a few steps back. 

"What's up?" The red-head stood there, watching him, with her head cocked to the side and a fond smile on her lips for so long that Michael started getting worried. "Linds-" 

Suddenly, she was right there next to him, pressing a light kiss to his cheek and whispering a quiet 'thank you' in his ear. He turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a strange, deep look in her eyes and then she was off, skipping down the hallway and humming quietly. Michael watched her, a hand coming up to brush lightly against the spot where her lips had been just a moment before. And then he laughed lightly as she yelled from down the hall. 

"Hurry up, loser!"


	16. Picnic in the Garden

"C'mon, Ray! If you keep walking so slow, Michael is going to make it to the garden before us, and then he's going to eat all of the chocolate!" 

"Well, at least we'll be able to tease him for not fitting his armor if he manages to eat all of that." Gavin laughed cheerfully, skipping ahead a step. 

"Yeah, but then I still don't get any chocolate, so hurry up!" The two boys scurried through the grey stone halls, rushing towards the gardens and the picnic that awaited them. Just as they were running through a particular section of hallway near the gardens, where there was not a single other person in sight, all the torches blew out as one, leaving only a dim light from under a nearby door. 

"No, no no no no, not again, this can't be happening again." Gavin immediately pressed back against the wall, breath already coming in quick, shallow pants. 

"Gavin, what's going on? It's probably just a freak breeze, someone just opened a window somewhere and it blew out all the torches. C'mon, I can see that they're still lit around the corner down there, and it's just a straight shot." Gavin reached out and grabbed Ray's hand, holding it tightly. 

"No, it wasn't, it's him, he's- he's back." 

"Who, Gavin? What is going on? Has this happened before?" Ray suddenly jumped, sucking in a gulp of air and pulling away from Gavin. 

"Ray... Ray? Where'd you go? Don't move away, don't leave me here, please!" Gavin felt something brush against his ankle and heard a quiet laugh from his left. Suddenly, there was enough light to see by, a strange dark light that allowed the little dancer to see everything around him, but still let the shadows writhe as near to him as they pleased. And even worse, it was coming from a orb that hovered next to the head of the wicked king. 

"Oh my little dancer. I wondered when I would get you alone again." Gavin could feel a tendril of shadow creeping up his leg, winding around all the way up to his hip. 

"Where- where is Ray? What did you do with my friend?" 

"Oh, this one?" King Ettin snapped his fingers and Ray appeared from the shadows, thoroughly bound and gagged and held by a creature that only had a vague human resemblance. 

"Please don't hurt him, please." The dark king moved closer to Ray, reaching out a hand to brush over his cheek. 

"You know, he is quite pretty as well. I would not mind looking at him, having him every day." Ray tried to twist away, but the motions were futile, and the King turned back to Gavin. "But you, you are much prettier to me, child of the seas." 

"Let him go, please, it's me that you're after!" Ettin laughed, moving closer to Gavin who tried to step away but was held in place by the shadows that wound around his legs. 

"Well that does not seem like fun. Why would I let him go, when having him makes you so panicked? Your fear is beautiful to me, little one." The king leaned in, as if to press his lips against those of the dancer, but before he could, there was an unearthly roar of pain from behind them. Ray fell to the floor, the shadows that had been wrapped around him recoiling in pain. 

"Get away from him." 

"Oh? And why should I do that? Surrounded by my shadows as you are, you have very little power here." Ray stood up shakily, murmuring something under his breath as he clutched at the necklace that hung under his clothing. Suddenly there was a blinding light contained in the palm of his hand, and he quickly moved between the king and Gavin, using the light to burn away the shadows. As they ran away down the hallway, they could hear the laughter of the king following after them. 

"Run all you want, my little dancers. The chase only makes it all the more worthwhile for me, and that magic of yours is quite a little trick. Perhaps I shall take both of you, instead of only the little sea child. Remember, that the shadows are always there, waiting to strike as soon as the light flickers." The two boys made it around the corner, falling back into the reassurance of multiple torches. After a few more passages, they stopped just outside the gardens, and Gavin sat down heavily against the wall, drawing his knees up and pressing his face into them. 

"Just... wait for a second, Ray. I just- need to breathe a moment." Ray sat down next to him, staring at his hands which were shaking violently. 

"It's okay, Gavin, it's okay, it's... okay." They sat there, sides pressed tightly together until their breathing evened out and the tremors stopped. 

"I'm sorry, Ray, I'm sorry that you had to get caught up in that." 

"What's going on, Gavin, how long has that king been attacking you like that?" Gavin shook his head, burying his face in his drawn-up knees. 

"This is only the third time, I didn't... I don't know what to do- what to... I just-" 

"Hey, hey, calm down, just... I'm sorry, you don't have to talk about it now, just breathe, just-" 

"Ray? Gavin? What's going on? Why are you sitting on the floor out here?" Ray could hear Gavin beginning to hyperventilate with the sudden appearance of other people, even if it was just Michael and Lindsay, and so he scrambled up and put himself between them. 

"Michael, just wait, just- Hi, Lindsay." The red-haired girl looked back and forth between everyone in the group and then reached over to grab Michael's lyre and the picnic basket from his hand. 

"Hey, Ray. I'll just go unpack all the food, I know where the garden is." Michael gave her hand one last squeeze before she turned and walked away, leaving only the boys in the hallway. 

"Ray... what's going on?" The dancer's face went pale and his hands started shaking again, his body slumping back to sit on the ground again. Gavin was still curled up in a ball, breath coming in short, gasping pants. The squire hurriedly fell to his knees in front of both of them, his arms stretched out as if he wanted to touch them but wasn't sure if it would help or hurt. 

"Michael... there was- it was the king, not our king, but the creepy one... and he had shadows and- and they were so cold and they were everywhere, and he- and Gavin-" 

"Hey, hey calm down, you're not making any sense. I don't know what happened, but it doesn't matter, you're safe right now, it's okay. It's just the three of us here, no one is going to hurt you now." Ray let out a wrenching little sob, and Michael immediately wrapped his arms around the younger man. Gavin was responding to Ray's distress, to the sounds he was making, and scooted closer. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't think he would- it's only ever happened when no one else was around. I didn't think he would do anything when there was something else with me. I'm sorry, Ray, please... I won't let it happen again, just please don't hate me... please..." Michael threw an arm around him as well, drawing both of the dancers into the close circle of his arms. 

"Alright, both of you, just- you're both safe, I promise..." After a few minutes of just huddling close together, Gavin began to speak quietly. 

"It was- the foreign king, Ettin? He- um- he's been harassing me a few times since he arrived. I can always feel him staring at me, anytime we're in the same space, which is why I've been hiding in the rooms, or staying with other people. But there were two times that I was walking alone in the hallway, one was right after the banquet and the other was when I went back to get my scarf for Lindsay. He- he was this strange power, the shadows around him are alive, they take the shape of all these terrible creatures, some I don't even recognize, and they have a physical sense to them in that you can feel them when they touch you, and they can wrap around your legs and keep you from running. The torches always blow out and then he's just there, with his awful shadows, and he keeps- keeps telling me how pretty I am and he touches me, and I just can't-" Michael's arms gripped tighter around both of the them, his anger towards the foreign king manifesting in protectiveness to the two dancers in front of him. 

"Shhh, I'm sorry, Gavin. I should have paid more attention, should have noticed that something was happening. I promised that no one would touch you if you did not want it, and I intend to keep that promise." Ray squirmed out of Michael's grasp, leaning back against the wall again, grasping one of Gavin's hands and idly playing with the long, pale fingers. 

"It's terrifying, Michael. There's nothing we can do about it... his magic is strong and the shadows... you don't know what it's like, Michael. To feel those cold, slimy, shadowy tendrils winding their ways around your body and holding you, restraining you. And to see those evil creatures that are slinking at the edge of the light, to feel their claws digging into your skin as they hold you back in the darkness..." Gavin scrambled over, wrapping his arms around the other dancer who was trembling again. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I never wanted you to go through any of it, I never thought this would happen. I'm so sorry, Ray." Michael pulled Gavin back, away from Ray, who had begun to fight against the grip of his arms. 

"Gavin, just back up for a moment, just give him some space. Will you be okay to walk?" The little dancer moved back, shakily nodding his head. 

"I can- yeah, I can walk." 

"Okay, good, cause I can't carry both of you, I don't think Ray will be walking, and I don't want to leave either of you alone right now. We're going to go to the garden now, okay? And we're going to finish this conversation later, after you've both had some time to breathe in a safe place, alright?" Michael leaned forward and gathered Ray into a bridal carry, striding away towards the entrance to the gardens. Gavin followed close behind him, hand tightly grasping to the back of the squire's tunic. As they passed through the hedges into the secret little back garden, Lindsay came running up to them. 

"What happened? What's wrong? Why are you carrying Ray?" Gavin reached out and grabbed her hand, transferring to cling to her as Michael continued on. The squire set the other dancer down on the blanket, keeping one hand on Ray's shoulder as he gestured his other friends closer. 

"They were being harassed earlier and are a bit shaken up now, that's all. I think some food might do them some good. Can you get some things ready, Lindsay?" The red-haired girl nodded, grabbing a couple pewter plates and piling them high with all the foods she knew that each boy liked. Michael made them sit next to each other and then sat in front of them, reminding each of them to take a bite every time they got lost in their thoughts. 

The group was silent until the dancers had finished their first plates, at which point Lindsay started refilling plates for all four of them, and Michael pulled out his lyre and started tuning it. Ray leaned over against Gavin, looking much less pale and shaking less now that he had eaten. 

"I'm sorry, Gavin, I don't blame you for any of this, okay? In a way, it's a good thing, because now more of us know what is going on. We can help now, you don't have to go through this alone anymore. So, lets just try to enjoy what's left of the day. We can talk and eat and dance away our problems, because we're safe here- you're safe here, and that's all that matters right now." Gavin smiled gently then, and grabbed Ray's hands, pulling both of them up to stand. Michael caught the movement from the corner of his eye and began playing a fun, upbeat song. 

Gavin whirled away from the blanket, the ends of his scarves trailing behind him as he moved. He spun and leapt in the twinklings of light that filtered through the dense canopy overhead. The dark green outfit he was wearing that day made him blend in with the shadows of the trees that surrounded them. At times it seemed as if he disappeared altogether, and that the trailing scarves were merely the movements made by falling leaves. 

Ray eventually joined the dance as well, moving slowly at first but eventually forgetting himself in the rhythm. He wore a burnished orange outfit, one that made him stand out under the leaves, unlike his partner. And yet his movements were reminiscent of the similar colored sunbeams that usually only appeared in the last moments of sunset. He was just as elusive as those moments at the end of every day, and time seemed to freeze when he paused at the top of each leap. His dance was slower, quieter compared to Gavin, who was still flitting about like a leaf on the breeze. 

And yet, by the time the music came to a graceful end, their dancing was perfectly in tune, the dance of a little leaf dancing on the last rays of the sun. Michael had stopped playing long before their dance had ended, his fingers tired and raw from the strings even when the dancers' feet were far from done. There was a long pause when they finally stopped dancing, when time seemed to stop, the breeze went still, and not a leaf on any tree made a single motion. 

"That... that was beautiful." Lindsay was the one to break the silence, still glued to her place on the blanket as she stared at the dancers. Ray laughed as he finally shifted positions, coming to claim his own spot on the blanket. 

"Dancing like that is just so freeing and exhilarating, it feels like everything else just falls away. Like you can dance and none of the problems of the world will follow you when you're leaping and twirling like that. And other poetry shit like that." Lindsay laughed and the two of them continued to wax poetic about dancing. Meanwhile, Gavin was still standing in the same place where he had stopped, his scarves puddling around his feet now, and Michael carefully stood and came up behind him, trying not to scare the younger man. 

"Hey... you okay, Gavin?" The little dancer still did not answer, and so Michael came around to stand in front of him. He was just staring forward into one of the dark shadows that fell under the trees at the edge of the garden. When Michael looked, he caught a glimpse of something strange, something otherwordly, lurking in those shadows, and he quickly moved to block the view, cupping Gavin's face in his hands. 

"Gavin, listen, don't look over there, okay? Focus on me right now." Those green eyes slowly moved to fix on Michael's own, and the empty, dull look in them made the squire's heart clench. 

"Michael?" 

"Yeah, buddy. Come on, Ray and Lindsay are waiting for us. There's no shadows out in the clearing, nothing can blot out the sun, right? So it's safe here, it's perfectly safe, I promise. Just don't look at the shadows, I'll keep you safe so you can just enjoy the afternoon. And even more afternoons. I won't leave you alone anymore, alright? You and Ray both... you'll stay with me, sleep in my room, you can come with me to training and everything. We'll find a way, we'll keep both of you safe." There was a faint glimmer of light leaking back into the emerald eyes across from him. 

"Okay... yeah, just- just enjoy the sunlight..." Michael grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the blanket, situating Gavin in the middle, between himself and Lindsay. Gavin simply stared at her, and there was a moment when Michael thought he might break. But then, it was as if a switch had been flipped and a sudden change came over the little dancer. 

"Oh look, more chocolate!" Gavin threw himself over, falling on Lindsay's lap in his scrabble to get to the treats that sat next to the picnic basket. The servant girl laughed, grasping a handful of his blonde hair and using it to pull him back away from the food. 

"Oh my gosh, Gavin. You're going to end up falling into the basket if you keep up like that." The dancer pouted up at her. 

"But Lindsay... chocolate!" Ray laughed and picked up a handful of the chocolate candies, throwing them at the other man. 

"Just give him the sugar, you know he'll never give up till he gets it." Gavin grabbed at the food that had scattered across his face and chest and Lindsay's dress. 

"Oi, Ray, that wasn't very nice!" 

"Since when is Ray ever nice to you, idiot?" 

"Michael! That wasn't nice either." All four of the young people dissolved into giggles, falling back into the normal rhythm of making fun of Gavin, as they often did. He just remained with his head in Lindsay's lap, nibbling at the chocolates. He enjoyed the feeling of her hand running through his hair, of Ray still throwing various foods at his face, of Michael nudging his legs every time they made a joke at his expense. And for all those moments, Gavin forgot about the shadows that still lurked nearby.


	17. The Second Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for the long gap between chapters, I hope I'll manage to get a little more regular with the updates after this, though I can't promise much. Big thanks to Michigangster, who left a lovely comment that really kicked my butt into gear.

Geoff strode into the main room of his chambers, cape flaring behind him as he whirled around to grab a cup off the table and fling it at the wall. Jack, who had entered just after him, winced as he heard the metal clanging off the hard stone. 

"Nothing is happening, Jack! Weeks of meetings, days and days of arguments and debates and fighting... and time after time, all we end up with is nothing. Just more breaks, more things to disagree about..." 

"We're making some progress, Geoff. I know it seems like it's slow going but..."  "It's not just slow going, Jack! There's been nothing, nothing at all! No one can agree on anything!" 

"If we just keep meeting-" Geoff whirled on Jack, crowding up in his face as he yelled. 

"We can't just keep meeting! Meetings aren't getting us anywhere, we have to-" The prince's stance softened slightly as he noticed how he had ended up pinning Jack to the wall, the slightly shorter steward looking nervous at his anger. 

"Sire..." Geoff sighed and stepped backwards. 

"I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just... things aren't going quite right, and it's been two weeks since Ryan left, and we haven't heard anything in five days. The only consolation is that necklace Ray has. We know he isn't dead but... we don't know anything else. I don't know if he's hurt or where he is or whether he's even made it to the marshes yet... and it's my fault, Jack. I sent him there. I sent him away..." 

"It wasn't your fault. It was the King's decision and you did the best you could. As long as he's still alive, as long as the necklace says he's still okay, he can still come back. And he will. We both know what a great magician he is, if anyone can come back from a mission like that, it's him." Geoff slumped into the chair by the fire, hanging his head in his hands. 

"How has everything gone so wrong lately?" Jack simply stood by the desk in the corner of the room and watched the Prince, not knowing what to say to comfort his friend. Just then, the door to the rooms opened again, and the three younger men came into the room. 

Geoff raised his head up and observed them, taking in their general appearances. While they were all dressed impeccably to the level of their station, as was proper with important guests around, the Prince had not missed the way that they had all become paler, more tired looking, gaunt, as the tensions in the castle rose. 

"Hello, squire, dancers. I trust that you had an enjoyable day?" Gavin came over and sat on the floor by Geoff's feet, leaning his head on the prince's knee. 

"We spent the morning watching the knights' practice, and then went to help in the kitchens until now." Geoff smiled tiredly and wove a hand into the blonde strand of hair below him. Jack had taken a seat on the other side of the space, and Michael was sitting next to him, with Ray at his feet. 

"Sounds like a wonderful day. Michael, since I have not had the chance to observe them myself for many days now, how goes the training of the new recruits?" The next hour or so was taken up in discussion on the business of the castle, all the things that the prince had been unable to keep up with personally. Ray slid over to sit next to Gavin as the others droned on and on, the two dancers leaning against each other and Geoff's legs as they slowly fell asleep. 

While they had not seen King Ettin at all in the last week, neither boy was sleeping well, despite the fact that they were both staying in Michael's room. As the days went by without any contact with Ryan, Ray became more and more worried about his master, and often spent long hours watching his pendant as it dimly glowed. He sat curled against Gavin's side, while Gavin pillowed his had on the prince's leg. Geoff's hand was absently stroking both of their heads as they laid there. 

Finally the conversation reached a lull, the little dancers sleeping soundly as the other three men in the room simply stared into the fire, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Eventually, the silence was broken by a quiet sigh, and Jack drew the attention back into conversation. 

"My prince-"  "Geoff, Jack, you know better than to address me as such in the privacy of our rooms."  "Geoff... I propose that we should cancel the meetings for tomorrow."  "Cancel the meetings?" 

"I believe it would be helpful. As you said earlier, these meetings are not getting us anywhere. Tensions are too high, everyone is just dissolving into petty arguments. Therefore, I propose that we have a day of rest, perhaps arrange a hunting trip into the nearby forests, as a chance for everyone to get out for a day." Geoff sat back in his seat, staring thoughtfully at his steward. 

"That is an excellent idea, Jack. A day in the forests will do us all some good. We'll arrange to have a picnic brought with us and we shall make a day out of it. I believe that small hunting camp still exists near the waterfalls, yes? We shall send some of the servants out in front of us, to prepare the camp for our arrival." 

"Let me call for Caleb, we can have him make the necessary preparations before dinner so that everyone is informed of the change in plans for tomorrow." Jack stood and left the room, heading to Caleb's small servant's quarters which were just around the corner. Michael stood and stretched, the light from the fire playing on his hair and making it seem even redder than it was. 

"If we are to go hunting tomorrow, then I shall go down to the armory and prepare your gear for the trip. Will it be a casual trip or will you require your light armor?" 

"Just a casual trip. I believe my sword still needs to be polished from my last trip, but everything else should be in suitable condition." Michael nodded and left the room. Ray jolted awake as the door closed, causing Gavin to slip slightly and startle awake as well. Geoff reached down to steady both of the boys. 

"Woah there, calm down. It's alright, both of you, nothing is wrong." Ray trembled slightly as he skittered across the rug and pulled himself up onto another chair. Gavin remained on the floor where he had been, afraid to get too close to the other dancer. 

"Ray? What's going on?" Ray pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them tightly. 

"There was darkness... so much darkness... it was everywhere, the shadows were growing, they were taking over everything..." Geoff made an aborted move to get closer to the dancer, but stopped when Ray pulled back even further into the chair. 

"Ray, just calm down, okay? Find something to focus on, and use it to relax." Ray scrambled for a moment, reaching into his tunic to pull out the crystal that he always kept there. He clung to it, eyes clenched tightly shut and he tried to regulate his gasping breaths. Gavin and Geoff watched quietly as his breathing slowly evened out and some of the color returned to his face. Finally, Gavin scooted closer, reaching out to gently place his hand on Ray's leg. 

"Ray? Feeling any better?" The dark-skinned dancer smiled shakily, nodding at his friend before taking a deep breath. 

"I'm okay now, but Geoff, I had another one of those dreams." 

"Are you up to telling me about it now?" 

"Yeah, it was... there wasn't a lot to it, but maybe it will be helpful. There was a bright white room, but there was nothing in it, just a door on the one wall and a window on the other. And then the door opened, and the King came into the room, except he looked a lot younger than he does now. Another man came behind him, I didn't recognize him, but he gave off this creepy, dark aura. And it seemed like the shadows that followed him were darker than the others, and they were moving all on their own. 

They stood by the window and talked, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. But while they stood there, the shadows spread out and slowly engulfed the entire room. The King started to look older and weaker, and the other man began to stand taller and look more powerful. As he gained power, the shadows seemed to thrive, growing darker and beginning to writhe on the walls, casting vague shapes of animals. And then the entire room was engulfed and everywhere was just thick blackness, and it was so cold and so... evil..." 

Ray shuddered and went silent, reaching a hand down to grasp Gavin's, which was still resting on his legs. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his knees, clinging tightly to the other dancer. Geoff came over and kneeled in front of them, reaching out to pull Ray into a loose hug. 

"It's alright, Ray, it was just a dream. We'll figure out what it means, but for now you're safe here, you're okay." Ray nodded shakily and Geoff released him, sitting back on his haunches. 

Just then, Jack came back into the room, Caleb and Lindsay trailing behind him with the dinner platters. Geoff noticed that the bruise on Lindsay's cheek had faded, and there were no new marks visible. The serving girl also seemed to be less anxious, thanks to the extra guards that the prince had posted around the castle, particularly in the lower levels, to make sure that no one was harassing the servants. 

"I have made the necessary arrangements for the hunting trip tomorrow, my lord, and have dispatched messengers to inform the foreign parties of the change in plans." Geoff shifted to his feet, reaching up in the air to stretch his spine. 

"Good, then everything is arranged. Michael has gone to prepare my sword, though I do not anticipate needing it. Hunting equipment has been arranged with the Master of the Arms? And the stables have been informed of the number of steeds to have prepared?" 

"Yes, my lord, and the Houndsmaster will have the dogs ready to go as well." 

"Very good, Jack, then we shall leave just after the first meal tomorrow." 

"As you wish, sire. Caleb, please inform the kitchens that servants and chefs will be needed to prepare both dinner and supper at the hunting camp." 

"Of course, my lord steward." Caleb set down the platters of food that he had and left the room, leaving Lindsay to set up the meal. Geoff sat back in his chair to the side of the fireplace, watching the red-haired girl as she quietly went about her work. 

"Lindsay, stay here for a time and eat with us." Lindsay whirled around, paling slightly as she faced the prince. 

"Oh no, sire, I couldn't do that, it's not my place-" 

"Hush, if I say you may, then it is your place." Lindsay still looked slightly uncomfortable with the idea and Geoff sighed. "If making it an order will make you feel better, I will do so." 

"Very well, my prince, if that is what you desire." She sat on the floor next to Gavin, Ray sliding out of his chair to sit by the dancer as well. 

"Looks like Lindsay gets to hang with the big kids today." Ray laughed as Gavin poked at the red-haired girl, and she glared back at him. 

"Oh, how wonderful, I get to sit with the pretty little dancers." 

"You should be honored to sit next to such creatures as we are." 

"But of course, how could I ever be anything but honored to bask in your illustrious presences, oh wonderful dancers?" Gavin fell back on the cushions, laughing heartily as Ray and Lindsay snarked back and forth with each other. Michael wandered back into the room just then, pausing in the doorway and staring at the three young people on the floor. 

"What in the world is going on here?" Lindsay answered him, sarcasm dripping from her every word. 

"Ah, my dear squire! The illustrious dancers you see here beside me have been ever so gracious, and deigned to grace us with their presence. We of lesser status are ever so honored by the gift that they give us." Michael laughed and sat down next to her, while Ray reached over and shoved her lightly, causing her to fall partially into the curly-haired boy's lap. 

Geoff and Jack snickered quietly on the other side of the room as they caught the faint blush that lit the cheeks of both red-heads, and Gavin and Ray giggled. Michael helped Lindsay sit up again, and then turned to the dancers and pushed Gavin, knocking him over into Ray. All four ended up in a heap of giggling young people, and Geoff and Jack simply shook their heads fondly. 

The teasing and laughter continued throughout the meal and well into the night, the small group staying up to play card games and discovering that Lindsay was quite adept at the betting games, and won almost every round. The fire was a pile of glowing embers by the time the group retired to their rooms. 

Michael walked Lindsay back to the female servants dormitories, making sure she wasn't harassed by any of the nobles on the upper floors. Gavin and Ray changed into their night clothes, climbing into Michael's bed to await the squire's return. 

"Hey, Ray?" 

"What's up, Gav?" 

"It's been a week since the King... and the shadows... attacked us... and when you talked about that dream, I thought about it. Do you think those were the same shadows? When you were describing it, I felt like I could really see that room, and those awful dark shadows..." Ray flopped back on the bed, his head dangling over the edge as he stared into the fire. 

"I don't know for sure, but... they felt the same. That cold, evil, overwhelming feeling... the claws that seemed to dig into your very soul. It all felt the same. But the man in my dream, he didn't look anything like King Ettin." Gavin sighed. 

"I wish we knew what it meant." 

"Yeah, me too..." Just then, Michael came back into the room, already stripping off his shirt before he caught a glimpse of the two very despondent dancers draped across his bed. 

"Alright you two, what's going on here?" Ray sat up, scooting back against the head of the bed. 

"I had a dream, I fell asleep earlier and I had this dream, and it seemed to mean something..." Ray told Michael all about the dream while the squire changed into his own nightclothes and banked the fire. He came and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the far wall for a moment. 

"I don't know what it all means, Ray... but something strange is going on here, and I think we need to figure out what it is." 

"Should we tell the prince?" 

"No, not yet. Let's wait until we actually have some concrete evidence to present to him. He has enough on his plate without dealing with this as well. I think the shadows are the key, since both King Ettin and the strange man in your dreams can control them. Maybe Ryan's scrolls can tell us something about that kind of sorcery." 

"He gave me the key to his library when he left, we can get in there and do some research." 

"Alright. We can't do anything tomorrow because we'll all be on the hunting trip. But the day after that, we'll get started collecting evidence."


	18. The Final Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize greatly for the wait! The good news is, I think there's only one more chapter left in this story. In other news, I already have the plots written out for two sequels. So at least you'll have some closure from this plot, but there will be plenty more yet to come!

"Woah, there!" The courtyard of the castle rang with the cries of men and the whinnying of horses as the hunting party rode back through the gates. Firelight from many torches lit the stone enclosure, the sun's rays already lost to the night. Gavin slipped off the horse he had been riding with Michael, swaying unsteadily as he regained his footing on the hard ground. 

"I think I need some more practice with the whole horse-thing." Ray laughed as he jumped lightly from his own horse, handing off the reins to a servant who was standing nearby. Michael had already moved off to take care of the prince, and so Ray was left to take charge of the slightly-green little dancer. 

"Geez, Gavin, I've never seen someone get horse-sick before." 

"It kept jolting and swaying! It wasn't my fault, it was that dumb horse. And when Michael made it gallop..." Ray laughed as Gavin turned even greener, turning to hide his face in a bush. 

"Well, we just have to train you better, I suppose." The little dancer turned to throw his friend a dirty look, but the movement made him lean over the bush again as he retched quietly. Michael showed up again then, looking slightly concerned. 

"The Prince is attended to and bids us do as we will until supper is announced. Apparently the King has decided that there will be a meal tonight, fresh cooked from the meat we brought back, as a celebration to mark a new beginning to the negotiations, or something like that anyway. Is he alright?" 

"Just a little horse-sick." Michael laughed. 

"Aw, poor Gavvy-wavvy, little sea-monster can't even handle a little horsey." Gavin whimpered pathetically, too tired to even muster a comeback. He sat on the ground, a distance from the unfortunate bush, trying to regain his equilibrium. Ray sat down next to him, allowing the queasy boy to lean against him. Michael crouched in front of them, brushing a strand of hair away from Gavin's face. 

"But seriously, Gavin, are you alright?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine, just need a minute." The dancer flopped backwards onto the grassy floor of the inner courtyard, his green leather hunting clothes blending into the ground. It took some time, plenty of coaxing, and the promise of a trip to the kitchen to get some treats later on, but Gavin was finally able to stand without feeling the need to run to his bush again. 

The three boys made their way into the castle, strolling along leisurely as they made their way up to the chambers that Ray usually shared with Ryan. But when Ray unlocked the door to the room that was designated as Ryan's library, Michael threw up his hands in exasperation. 

"Holy shit, Ray, there's like a million papers in here. How are we ever going to find what we need?" Gavin stepped into the room, moving gingerly around the piles of manuscripts that littered the floor. The room was clean, and the books were obviously well-cared for, there were just so many of them. The floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined three walls were overflowing with papers, the tables were covered in loose manuscripts, and the majority of the floor space was taken up as well. 

"Well... I just we just pick a place and start, right? It doesn't look like there's much organization in here." Ray shook his head and laughed sheepishly. 

"Unfortunately... I think Ryan has a pretty good idea of where everything is in here, but obviously we can't just ask him, so I guess we just start looking." Michael groaned and stalked over to a table, flopping into a chair and pulling a pile of papers closer to him. 

"This is going to take forever." This prediction turned out to be unfortunately true, as the boys spent the remaining hours till the supper feast searching in vain for some reference to the images that Ray had seen in his dreams or the powers that the foreign king seemed to command. As the sunlight disappeared with the approaching nighttime, the reading light in the little library got darker and darker. Finally, Gavin pushed back his chair in a huff. 

"I can't even read the bloody words its gotten so bloody dark in here." 

"You really need to learn some more swear words, Gav, I swear if I here 'bloody' one more bloody time." 

"Oh, you bloody will, will you?" 

"Yeah, I bloody damn will!" Ray laughed as Gavin and Michael started yelling at each other, putting 'bloody' in between every word they said. He laughed so hard that his chair tipped over backwards and fell with a loud crash. When he opened his eyes and looked up, Michael and Gavin were standing over him, staring at him with expressions torn between amusement and concern. 

"Oh my god, I don't know why I found that so funny." Michael chuckled and reached down to pull the dancer to his feet again. 

"Well, now that we're all standing, we might as well go get ready for dinner." Gavin groaned. 

"Time to put on those bloody fancy outfits again." Ray started cackling again, tears streaming down his face. 

"Oh my god, Ray, why do you find that so funny?" 

"Don't know, just do." The three boys made their way back to the prince's rooms, Gavin occasionally whispering the word 'bloody' into Ray's ear, making him collapse in laughter again, resulting in Michael having to carry him a good portion of the way there so that they wouldn't run out of time to get ready. Once dressed in their formal outfits, Michael went to find Geoff to help him prepare as well. Gavin and Ray sat by the fireplace, waiting for the others to reappear. 

"Hey, Ray? Do you think we'll be able to find something in Ryan's library?" 

"I don't know, Gav... we have to, we have to do something about Ettin, we can't let him continue to come after us. I don't know about you, but I want to be able to wander the halls of my home without being terrified of every shadow I pass. I'm tired of being too afraid to walk out that door without Michael, or someone else by my side. And even when I'm sleeping in the same room as both of you, my dreams are haunted by darkness and laughter." Gavin sighed and hung his head, staring at the floor between his feet. 

"Well, I don't want to walk around scared anymore either. I want my life back, without the fear, I never wanted to feel that fear again after I got here. So let's hope we find something soon." But soon was much further off than any of the boys thought. They didn't find anything the next day, the one after that, nor had they discovered any useful information two weeks later. 

After yet another day of fruitless searching, the three boys trudged back to their rooms, thoroughly discouraged. They flopped down in front of the fireplace where Geoff and Jack were already sitting, staring morosely at the fire. The prince and his steward exchanged a look, clearly confused as to why they were so obviously downcast about something . 

"So King Ettin will be leaving tomorrow." Gavin winced slightly upon hearing the King's name. 

"O-oh, really?" Geoff nodded, thinking that the news would serve to distract from the heavy feeling in the room. 

"The King has decided that these negotiations are getting nowhere, thanks to all of Ettin's disagreeing and the little games he is playing with getting what he wants." Ray spoke up from where he was draped over the back of a large chair. 

"Games?" 

"Yes, he's been purposely misunderstanding what others have been saying, twisting the words around, just making everything generally unpleasant. So the King has called an end to the meetings, and all the visiting dignitaries are going home. There is another banquet tonight to mark the end, and then everyone will be leaving on the morrow." Gavin sighed and leaned back against Michael, who wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. 

"That will be nice, I will be glad when the castle is back to normal functioning." The room was quiet for a few moments, until Jack noticed Ray fiddling restlessly with his necklace. 

"He's coming back, Ray." The dancer jumped, obviously not expecting to be addressed in the silence of the room. 

"W-what?" 

"I see you fiddling with that necklace. I know you're worried about Ryan, but he's going to come back, there's no need to worry about that." Ray sighed, pulling the chain from around his neck, and dangling the pendant where all could see. The light was still there, strong and unwavering, if not slightly dimmer than when Ryan had still been in the castle with them. 

"I know he's okay, I think I would feel if something had happened to him. But I wish I knew for sure what was going on, it's been weeks since we got any sort of message from him." Geoff stood and paced to the fire, leaning an arm on the wall as he stared into the leaping flames. 

"I wish we had some news as well, Ray. I hate knowing that I sent him out there, and I have no way of knowing how he is, other than that pendant he gave you. But at least its something, far better than knowing nothing about where he is." Just then, the pendant flashed brightly three times, a sharp green light that looked completely unnatural. Then, all the color faded and the light dimmed until it was imperceivable. Everyone stared at the pendant in shock as it sat dully in Ray's hand. But right before anyone could bring themselves to react, there was another flare of light, this time blue, that blinded everyone in the room. When they could see again, the pendant appeared just as it had before the green light, shining with its soft reassuring light. 

"Well... something interesting must have just happened." Gavin was the first to bark out a shocked laugh, followed soon after by Ray, and then Jack, until the whole room dissolved into a cacophony of nervous, anxious laughter. It was a laughter that spoke of people who were on the edge of breaking and had to laugh, because otherwise they would just fall apart. It was this scene into which Lindsay and Caleb arrived shortly after, carrying freshly laundered clothing. 

"M-my lord?" Geoff pulled himself up from where he collapsed against the wall from laughing so hard. 

"Yes, Caleb?" 

"Ah... I have brought your clothes for the banquet tonight?" 

"Right, well, I suppose we should all be getting ready then." Gavin stumbled back to his room, followed closely by Ray, who was still giggling quietly, with a slight edge of madness to his tone. Michael shot him a concerned look, but dutifully headed to Geoff's room in order to help the Prince with his clothing. It wasn't long before they were all changed and off to the banquet, trailing behind the Prince in an order that denoted their formal standing within the castle. 

"Oh, Gavin and Ray, I forgot to tell you that King Ettin has requested a dance from you both tonight." Ray froze in his steps, Gavin bumping into his back. 

"He- he wants us to dance for him?" Geoff turned to regard the little dancers, worried by the shaky tone of Ray's voice and the deathly white pallor of their skin. 

"You don't have to, he is leaving tomorrow, I have no fear of offending him. If you do not wish to dance for him, I will not make you do it." A silent conversation passed between Ray and Gavin and Michael. 

"No... we- we can dance, we can." Geoff appeared very concerned, brow furrowed as he regarded the younger members of his group. 

"Are you sure?"  "Of course... there is no need to offend the King on his last night in the kingdom." Geoff regarded them thoughtfully and then nodded and continued walking. 

"Very well then. But know that you can change your mind at any time. I promised I would never force anyone to do something they are uncomfortable with, and I intend to follow through with that." Gavin and Ray were already deep in conversation about which of their many rehearsed dances they should perform that night. Their conversation lasted until everyone was seated at the tables, and already well through the first course of dinner. They would dance after the main bulk of the feast was done, when everyone was enjoying their last few morsels of the delicacies placed in front of them. 

And when it was time, Ray slipped away to talk to the musicians, and then Geoff motioned to King Ettin. 

"As you requested, my lord, my personal dancer and his partner will perform for you tonight." The King looked especially gleeful, and there was something in his eyes that made Geoff worry about allowing Gavin and Ray to dance for him, but they were already taking their places on the clear area in the middle of the room, and he could not stop them now. They were quite a sight to see, this time both of them in midnight blue outfits. Gavin's had a pattern of stars across the fabric, stitched in a glittering thread that glinted in the firelight. Ray's had a crescent moon on the chest piece, with a scarf stitched with stars to match Gavin's. He handed his scarf to Gavin, and the two of them crouched down, waiting for the music. 

The musicians started to play, a soft slow tune that filled the hall with a wistful sound. Ray stood slowly, the moon on his clothing reflecting the light as it was caught in the glow of the fire. He twirled around as he rose, the pearlescent beads lining his wrists clinking lightly. Gavin left the scarves puddled on the floor and made his own way up, twirling around Ray as he stood in the middle of the floor. The music began to pick up, sounding lighter as Ray reached down and grabbed the scarves, holding an end of each and flicking them up into the air. 

The stars on the scarves glittered as the sheer material drifted back down towards the two boys who were twirling around. They each reached up and grabbed a scarf, pulling it into their spins so that the scarves wound around their bodies. Ray stayed more or less in the center of the floor, twirling his scarf around and around while Gavin danced around him. In the dimness of the room, with the light of the fire catching on the silvery threads, it was easy to forget that these were two people, and to instead only see the moon and stars rising and dancing and falling again. The dance ended as Ray crouched down again, hiding the moon as his clothing, and Gavin flicked his scarf up one more time as the last stars finished their dance. 

There was a moment of silence at the end, and then thunderous applause in the halls. Ray and Gavin picked themselves off the floor again, bowing to the gathered crowd before heading back to their seats. But before they could sit down again, King Ettin was there, standing in front of their chairs, between themselves and Michael, Geoff, and Jack. 

"That was quite a lovely show, my little dancers." Ray and Gavin paled, shuffling nervously in place. 

"Th-thank you, your Grace." Ettin moved closer, reaching out to put a hand on each of their shoulders. 

"No, no. I should be thanking you for gracing me with such a wonderful sight. You are both truly beautiful dancers." They both tried to back up a little, but Ettin kept a strong grip on them, refusing to allow them to back away. 

"Thank you for the... compliment, sire, but we really must get back to our seats, I believe the Prince has something to tell us." Ettin smiled, his eyes glittering maliciously as he leaned in closer towards them. 

"I am quite looking forward to have two such beautiful little creates decorating my home... and warming my bed." The last comment was said in a murmur so quiet that no one could hear outside of the three of them. But Geoff could see the fear in Gavin's eyes, and the way that Ray was trying to discreetly struggle away, neither of them willing to make a scene in front of the crowd. 

"King Ettin, I will ask you to release my dancers please. I am afraid that I need to take them back to their chambers, as all of this excitement seems to be wearing on them." Ettin glanced back at the Prince, hands tightening for a moment on the dancers' arms before he finally backed away, bowing slightly. 

"Of course, Prince Geoff. I apologize if I have added to the... excitement." He shot another considering look at the boys who still trembled before him, before turning and gliding back to his own seat. Geoff stood, Jack and Michael right behind him, and motioned the dancers over towards their group. 

"With your permission, my King, I will take my leave for the night, as we have an early start tomorrow." The King, who was deep in conversation with King Mansa, simply gestured his approval, and the small group made their way out of the great hall. 

"Well that ended well." Geoff sighed at Jack's words, glancing back at the two dancers and Michael who trailed behind. Gavin's breathing was still alarmingly fast, his eyes were wide and teary, and Ray did not look much better. 

"I'm not sure I even understand what happened exactly..." 

"My lord, I think there's something I should tell you about the King..." But before Gavin could say anymore, a strong wing blew down the hallway, knocking over all five of the men. Behind the wind came a wave of inky black shadow, creeping forward as the torches were blown out by the unnaturally cold breeze. The darkness washed over them, engulfing them in a world of black filled with the shrieks and roars of a thousand unworldly creatures. The cold wind continued to tear through the hallway, whipping their hair and clothing violently. 

Finally, the wind came to an abrupt end, the shadows dissolving into nothing as the torches along the hallway relit themselves one by one. Jack groaned and sat up slowly, grimacing at the angry red scratches that had appeared on his skin. Michael was also struggling to his feet nearby, skin marred by the same marks. The steward stumbled over to him and helped the unsteady boy gain his footing. 

"Are you okay, Michael?" 

"Yeah, I think so. What as that?" Jack looked around, mouth set in a grim line. 

"I don't know, but whatever happened, Gavin, Ray, and Geoff are gone."


	19. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize profusely to all my followers (if any of you have any interest in this story anymore). In the past two years I have: graduated from college, spent months looking for a job, gotten my first real adult job (yay night shift nurse!), and dealt with my father's cancer and eventual death shortly before Christmas. Needless to say, I have not had much time for writing, and have fallen out of watching RT/AH like I used to, which provides me much less inspiration for these stories. However, I don't want to leave this unfinished and so I will do my best to complete this story, no matter how long it takes.

Geoff came back to consciousness slowly, his head aching and feeling as though it had been stuffed with cotton. He tried to open his eyes but they were unnaturally heavy, and all he could see through the tiny slit he was able to open was black anyway. Just then, a sound reached his ears, muffled as though it came from the other side of a thick wall. The voices he recognized as Ray and Gavin's, the former screaming in pain while the later was shouting something. 

Geoff began to struggle, worried about the dancers, but he found himself unable to move a limb. he tried to open his mouth to yell, but gagged instead as the air that he breathed in turned viscous, filling his throat, nose, and ears. He was coughing, trying to expel the thick material, but now he could feel it, engulfing his form, slipping over his skin. The slime was pressing closer, pushing in and in until he could barely breathe through the pressure. 

And then there was a different kind of pressure, a touch right in the center of the chest. The substance on the rest of his body began to dissolve, sliding and dripping down as if they were turning into jelly or water. The material receded from his eyes, mouth, nose, and Geoff's eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. He looked down just in time to see the last tendrils of shadowy blackness fall off his legs and blend back into the edges of the room.

"Ah, the Prince finally awakens" Geoff's eyes shot up, locking with the dark black ones that watched him from across the room. "I began to wonder when you would grace us with your presence." Geoff tried to speak, but his throat was still raw from the substance that had been filling it. "Ah, ah, no need to talk, my prince. I am sure you are wondering what is happening here." 

The king laughed as he turned towards the dancers, drawing Geoff's attention to them as well. Ray was hanging from the ceiling, strands of shadow wrapped around his wrists. His shirt was missing, pants in tatters, and his body was covered in angry red welts, some of which were bleeding profusely. The nasty-looking whip dangling from Ettin's hand was the obvious cause of these wounds. Gavin was also hanging from the ceiling nearby, though he had no visible wounds just yet. He was struggling wildly, though Ray just hung limply from his bonds.

"G-Gavin..." Geoff's voice was raspy and weak, but enough to get the attention of the little dancer.

"I'm so sorry, Geoff, I didn't think this would happen, didn't think it would go this far."

"T-this far?" Ettin laughed again, still circling around all three of his captives.

"Oh, did my little sea child not tell you what has been happening lately? How I've been stalking him ever since I got here? I've been cornering him in the halls, telling him all the lovely things I plan to do to him." Gavin's face blanched as Ettin came up next to him, caressing his face gently with the back of one hand.

"Ge-get away from h-him.."

"I hardly think you're in any place to give me orders, little princeling. Besides, his skin is so soft, I cannot wait to get to feel all of it." Gavin began to squirm again, struggling against the shadow bonds, and biting at Ettin's fingers when they came too close to his mouth. The evil king frowned at that and pulled his hand back, smacking the dancer across the face. "Now, now, that wasn't very nice my dear sea-child. Perhaps we shall have to see about adjusting your attitude..."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack and Michael stood in the hallway, looking for any traces of their companions who had mysteriously disappeared.

"There don't seem to be any clues anywhere... it's as if they just vanished into thin air..."

"Or into the shadows..."

"Michael? Why do you say that?" Michael fidgeted around and avoided eye contact.

"I- I may or may not know someone who might or might not be responsible for this."

"Michael, I need you to tell me anything you might know about this. Any little piece of information could be the key to finding them!" Michael sighed and kicked the wall.

"We didn't want to say anything because we didn't want to jeopardize the treaty. King Ettin is already horrible enough to work with, we didn't want to make it any harder."

"King Ettin? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"He- he's been harassing Gavin since he got here, and Ray too eventually. We thought if we just waited it our, he would leave, and things would go back to normal."

"Michael, take a deep breath. I need you to start at the beginning and tell me everything." So Michael did, staring stonily at the wall in front of him and no where else. By the time he was done, the soldiers had completed their search and had found no trace of the missing boys or the Prince. Michael slumped against the wall, sitting with his back to the stone and his face buried in his knees.

"What have I done? I should have known I couldn't protect them, I should've gone for help when this all started." Jack crouched down next to him, putting a hand on his back.

"Now is not the time for this, Michael. From what you say, Ettin is a powerful sorcerer, and without Ryan here, there are few who could do combat with him, let alone beat him. But we have to try, so I need you to pull yourself together and help me.

"Okay, I- yeah... so where do we start?"

"We search the castle, send out knights to the surrounding country, and hope that he didn't magic them halfway across the world." Jack went to dispatch the searchers, and find someone to inform the King of what had happened. Michael sat, trying to think of any clues about where he may have taken them. He put a hand down on the ground and felt something hard under his hand, like a smooth stone. He absently picked it up and rolled it around his hand, but when he finally looked down at it, he lost his train of thought completely.

In his hand he held Ray's crystal, the magic one that Ryan had given him. Michael found he could not look away, something was drawing his gaze deeper and deeper into the stone. There was a rainbow of lights, flashing brighter and faster until he was surrounded by a solid, blinding whiteness. Slowly, shapes began to form: a stone table, a window, and a shadowy dark figure silhouetted against the window. It was then that all the pieces clicked into place in his mind, and the white light fade back into the stone hallway of the castle.

"Jack! I think I might know something that could help us!"

"Michael?"  "It's Ray's vision! The one he told us about the other night. The white room in the tower? I think it's a tower here in the castle!"

"Here? Do you know how many tower rooms there are here?"

"Yeah, but at least it gives us a starting place, right? And he probably doesn't want people disturbing... whatever he's doing in there, so it's probably warded and locked with some spells. So we just have to look for whatever tower room we can't get into!"

"That's a pretty vague description."

"Do you have a better idea, Jack?" The steward sighed and motioned for the captain of the guard to approach.

"No, so I guess we just split up the towers, and start looking for anything suspicious."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ettin laughed as he commanded his shadow to pull Gavin's arms apart and away from his body, pulling until his joints had reached their limits and were barely a moment from popping out of their sockets. Ray's head still hung low, he had not looked up once, but he flinched every time Gavin screamed, and tears were running down his face. 

Geoff had threatened and yelled and pleaded until the evil king had grown tired of his voice and had gagged him again. Suddenly Ettin stiffened, his gaze going distant and his control over the shadows weakening enough that they eased their pull on Gavin's arms.

"It seems like your friends have found the doorway to my little tower here." Geoff began to struggle more fervently again. 

"Ah, no no, little Prince. Just because they found us doesn't mean they will be able to help you. There will be no rescue for you." The shadows tightened, and Gavin's face contorted in pain when the torture began again...

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well... I guess this must be the tower we're after..."

"You think? It's not like there are so many wards and spells that you can literally feel them crackling with power or anything like that." Michael and Jack stared in dismay at the plain wooden door they had found in a dark, rarely-used tower hallway. There were indeed so many lines of power around it at sparks flew from the wood whenever anyone got too close.

"Well... now what?"

"The guards will be back soon with more men, and with the court sorcerers. Hopefully they'll be able to do something." They had already tried physically breaking down the door, out of sheer frustration more than an actual belied that they could get through the spells that way.

"We're never going to be able to get this door open."

"The sorcerers will-"

"We both know they wont be able to do anything, Jack. Ettin is just too strong."

"I hope you're wrong, Michael. But those wards are incredibly strong... if only Ryan were still here..." Just then, Michael felt Ray's crystal begin to warm and shake, quickly growing so hot that he could feel it burning through his shirt pocket.

"Ow, ow! What the hell?" Michael yelped, jumping around and smacking at his tunic.

"Michael?" Jack stepped back, out of the range of Michael's flailing arms.

"This stupid stone is so hot! It's literally burning a hole in my shirt!" There was indeed a thin line of smoke rising from Michael's shirt pocket. He finally got the pocket turned inside out, the stone falling on to the ground where it started rattling and bouncing slightly. Michael was still swearing and examining the brown patch on his tunic, so Jack walked over and picked up the crystal.

"Well, it's not hot anymore..."

"What happened?"

"I have no idea... given that Ryan created this stone, who knows what kind of magic this thing has." The crystal was still bouncing slightly, rattling across Jack's hand until it fell to the floor again. Michael and Jack stood and watched it for a moment.

"Wait, I think... I think it's trying to go somewhere."

"What?"

"Look, Jack, its just bouncing around but it's moving in one direction, towards that doorway." 

"I don't know, Michael, combining those magics does not seem like a good idea." Michael picked up the stone, taking a couple steps to stand near the door.

"What other option do we have? We need to get up there, who knows what he's doing to all of them! You have no idea how creepy this guy is, Jack, and I promised Gavin and Ray that I would protect them, so I have to get up there, no matter what." And before Jack could say another word, Michael thrust his hand towards the doorway, pressing the crystal into the wood. 

There was a flare of white light and a loud cracking noise. Sparks were flying everywhere, and Michael and Jack were both blown back into the stone wall behind them. The noise continued on, the crystal obviously interacting with the spells. Then the white light died down, and the crystal floated in the air in front of the doorway, still cracking and sparking.

"Did- did it work?" Michael and Jack pulled themselves off the ground, stepping forward to examine the wooden doorway, avoiding the volatile crystal floating in the hall. 

"Well... the spells are gone... and we can actually touch the door now... so yes?" Michael's eyes hardened and he drew his sword from his belt, where it hung next to Geoff's sword.

"Good... let's go then."

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/criticisms/suggestions are much appreciated!


End file.
